Trust Me
by Freelancer
Summary: Murder and betrayal force Lucius Malfoy to go to Hogwarts for help. Can he convince his old enemies that he's changed, and how many innocents will die first? Very, very AU. LM/OC, AD/MM
1. Betrayed

DISCLAIMER: The stuff isn't mine, k?  It's all created and/or inspired by the one and only J.K. Rowling.  I'm just a fan with a couple minutes of spare time every now and then.

A/N: I'm really new to the Harry Potter universe, so please keep that in mind as you read.  My stuff probably won't be too accurate… I've tried to read the books and stuff, but between school and all the other stuff in my crazy life, it's hard to find the time, not to mention the issue of availability – HP books are not easy to come by around these parts!  (I'm working on it, though.  Be patient.  ^_^)  I had an idea and thought it would work, so I decided to try this out.  I would appreciate help with this project, so if you can offer any ideas, suggestions, or resources (ex. websites with HP info), I would love you forever!  Thanks!  

Oh, and I promised my flamers that I would put up this WARNING section, so here it is: Readers, please be aware of Mary Sue-ness and twisting of the Malfoys and attitudes toward them beyond all conceivable belief.  (I promise that the Mary Sue character has substance, though…)  This is little more than a half-assed fairy tale, but if you like half-assed fairy tales and can stand Mary Sues and hard-to-swallow portrayals of most of the characters, then you'll probably be able to enjoy this story.  A more believable HP story is swimming around in my mind, but for now, try to settle with Oliver Wood as a violin player and Voldemort as a gazelle.

SUMMARY: Without warning, Lucius Malfoy's entire life is torn apart when Voldemort decides to place his trust elsewhere.  Lucius turns to the Ministry of Magic, but they are unable to help him.  He has only one choice – Hogwarts.  There, old enemies become allies, and he has several run-ins with a sharp-witted professor who isn't afraid to stand up to him.  As the stakes are driven higher, old walls are torn down, and if they can survive, our friends will never be the same.

GENRE: A little bit of everything.

RATING: PG-13 for occasional violence, language, and some adult themes (and the massacre of poor little house-elves…).  Rating is mostly to be on the safe side.

**~~ Trust Me ~~**

a Harry Potter fan fic written by a new, but devoted addict

~~ Chapter One: Betrayed ~~

After nearly two weeks of business-related trips all over northwestern Europe, Lucius Malfoy was finally returning home.  He was looking forward to being able to remain at Malfoy Manor for a few days until duty called again.  Lucius was the type of man who quickly grew weary of travel and would much rather remain at home, studying spell books or his true passion, reading classic literature.  His plan for tonight was to let everyone at the manor know he was back, then lock himself in the library with a leather-bound copy of Thomas Hardy's _Tess of the d'Urbervilles_.  He couldn't think of a better way to pass the time, and if he remained undisturbed, his night would be perfect.  Lucius was a man who liked his privacy.

            Lucius stepped out of the taxicab and strode up to the front gate of Malfoy Manor.  His fingers found the keypad and entered the seven-digit code that opened the gate.  To his dismay, nothing happened.  He stared at the keypad in disbelief.  He was sure he entered the code correctly… must have been traveling too long, he thought.  He made a mental note to request shorter business trips.  Being away from home slowed his thinking.

            He entered the code again, making sure to put it in exactly right: 7-4-1-3-6-2-6.  He waited for the gate to open.  It remained closed.

            He was starting to get frustrated.  The servants knew better than to change the code without asking him for permission.  Had Narcissa changed it?  That didn't seem likely.  Narcissa rarely left the grounds, and he doubted she even knew the code.  There was no reason.  This wasn't making any sense at all.

            Lucius entered the code for a third time.  The gate did not budge.  "Damn this gate," he mumbled, and reached for his wand.  He pointed it at the gate and said some magic words.  The gate was ripped from the brick wall it was attached to and tossed to the ground several feet away.  Destroying the gate was probably a bad idea, but he was in a foul mood.  Nothing was sacred when he felt like this.

Once the obstacle of the stubborn gate was out of the way, he proceeded to cross the grounds over to the entrance to the enormous, ancient house his family had lived in for centuries.  He reached the front door and stopped, expecting one of the house-elves to open it.  No one came.  This peculiar chain of events was most annoying to him.  First the gate wouldn't open, and now the front door wouldn't open.  What next?

The door was much easier to open than the gate; all it required was a simple placing of the hand on the large, ornately carved handle and pulling it open.  No magic involved.  He stepped inside.  The house, normally illuminated by candles and sunlight pouring in from outside, was completely dark.  This struck him as very unusual indeed.

With a wave of his wand, Lucius was able to pull back the shades that covered a large window at the end of the entrance hall, shedding some light into the room.  "Hello?" he called, hoping someone would answer.  His voice echoed through the large house with no response of any kind.

Now he was angry.  Lucius was never in a good mood after traveling, and this was making it worse by the second.  "Narcissa!" he yelled, walking through the house.  Hopefully the woman who was his wife could explain what was going on.  He hoped the house-elves weren't on strike again.

As he walked down the hall, he spotted a door slightly ajar out of the corner of his eye.  It wasn't much, but it was a start.  Maybe he could find some clues in this room, which he identified as the sleeping chambers for their many house-elves.  Lucius pulled the door open all the way – and gasped.

The room was littered with the bodies of at least two dozen house-elves.  Some were hanging off furniture, some were scattered on the floor, and a few were even attached to the ceiling, but regardless of where they were, all had one thing in common: they were all dead.  Lucius ran into the room and knelt down next to the first elf he reached.  The small creature's eyes were closed, and dried blood stained its cloak.  Lucius could see where the blood came from – four long gashes along its chest.  He ran his fingers over the wound, trying to guess how old it was.  This one had been dead for about a day and a half.  The others were probably killed at the same time.

Just then, Lucius had a thought.  If these elves were dead, what about the rest of his household?  He turned away from the sight of the slain elves and left the room, running as fast as he could to Narcissa's chambers.

Lucius tore open the door to his wife's bedroom.  His eyes darted around the room, frantically looking for some sign that she was alive.  He found none.  Finally, his gaze fell upon her bed, and there she was.

Dread filled his heart as he walked over to the bed.  Narcissa was lying on the bed, face down, drowning in a pool of her own blood.  Lucius turned her over, and immediately identified the cause of death – four long gashes that ran from her forehead to her stomach.  He couldn't understand why this happened.  Everything was fine when he left.  He leaves Malfoy Manor for two weeks, and what happens?  Everyone gets slaughtered, that's what.

Next to Narcissa's body, Lucius spied a piece of parchment rolled up and sealed with wax.  He picked it up, broke the seal, and unrolled the scroll.  The words were written in dried blood.  "You are no longer capable of that which has been entrusted to you," it read.  "Let this serve as a warning that none who challenge my power and authority will go unpunished.  This goes triple for you."

Lucius's eyes flamed, and crumpled the paper in his fist.  "Voldemort."

"I'm sorry, my friend.  I cannot help you."

Lucius Malfoy could barely believe his ears.  "What do you mean, you can't help me?"

"This incident does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic," Cornelius Fudge responded as the two wizards walked the halls of the Ministry of Magic.  "We cannot interfere with acts that are not directed toward the organization."

Lucius didn't take no for an answer.  "Suppose I made a donation to the Ministry, say, half a million Galleons?  Would that be enough to ensure protection for myself and my son?"

Fudge shook his head.  "Lucius, I told you, I cannot help you," he said.  "This is not a situation I have control over."

"A million, then."

"My suggestion would be to keep your Galleons and hire yourself and Draco bodyguards."

"That's what the elves were supposed to be," Lucius spat, "and fifty of them weren't even enough to protect Narcissa."

"I'm sorry for your loss, old friend, but I gave you my answer."

Loss… could her death really be described as a "loss"?  To Draco maybe, but in truth, he barely knew his wife.  He married her because he needed an heir, and since she was a pureblood from Slytherin House, the one all Malfoys attended at Hogwarts, she was the ideal candidate.  Draco was conceived on their wedding night, and after that, they never made love again.  He was financially secure, and in exchange for an heir, he provided her with a life in the lap of luxury.  They lived entirely separate lives, and that was what they wanted, perfectly content to live as strangers under the same roof.  How could he lose something he never had in the first place?

"What course of action do you recommend?" Lucius asked.

Fudge shrugged.  "Does Draco know yet?"

"No.  I plan to travel to Hogwarts tomorrow and inform him of the situation."

"Hogwarts can do more to protect you than we can.  Draco is under their jurisdiction.  They may take you in as well until this threat has passed."

Hogwarts?  Go to Dumbledore for help?  The very thought disgusted him.  "I would rather face Voldemort myself than go to them," he said with disdain in his voice.

"I know," Fudge replied, "but what about Draco?  He's your only heir, Lucius.  Can you bear to lose him?"

Fudge's words echoed through Lucius's mind.  "Can you bear to lose him?"  As much as he hated to admit it, Fudge was right.  If he wanted to keep his son safe, Hogwarts was his first, last, and only choice.  "Very well," he said with a sigh.  "I will leave at once."

Fudge nodded.  "Good luck."


	2. The Magic of Music

~~ Chapter Two: The Magic of Music ~~

"Now, who can tell me what the traditional time signature for a waltz is?"

Alina Terringer, Professor of Musical Enchantment at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, ran her eyes up and down the rows of students in her lecture hall, looking for someone's hand to shoot up, requesting permission to volunteer an answer.  The first hand she saw in the air belonged to Hermione Granger.  Hermione almost always had an answer.  Alina didn't like to call on just one student all the time, but since Hermione was the only one who had her hand raised, she called on her.  "Yes, Hermione?"

"Three four," Hermione answered.

"Excellent," Alina said.  "Would someone else tell the class what the three and the four stand for?"  Her eyes fell upon a light-haired boy from Slytherin.  "What about you, Draco?"

Draco Malfoy had been dozing, but once he heard his name, he snapped to attention.  "What?" he asked.

"Pay attention next time, Mr. Malfoy, and you would know," she said.  She saw another hand in the air, and called on that student.  "Harry?"

"The three means there's three beats per measure, and the four means quarter notes get one beat," answered Harry Potter.  On either side of him, his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger smiled approvingly at their friend's knowledge.

"Correct."  Alina had only been at Hogwarts for a week, but she was already noticing a pattern among the students, particularly the rivalry among those from Gryffindor and Slytherin.  On average, the students from Gryffindor were hard working and honest, while those from Slytherin were conceited and lazy.  Two of them stood out more than any other – Harry Potter from Gryffindor and Draco Malfoy from Slytherin.  She suspected they had a history, but what that history was didn't matter right now.  She had a music class to teach.

"And now, class, the uses of music."  She walked down the aisle that split her class in half, glancing from side to side as she went.  "Why is music important to wizards and witches?  Someone besides Hermione, please."

A soft giggle ran through the room as Hermione lowered her hand.  The professor had her back to the student when she spoke her comment, and the others found it amusing that she knew Hermione would have her hand raised.

Alina reached the end of the aisle, turned around, and walked back to the front.  "Anybody?"

Su Li from Ravenclaw raised her hand.  The instructor called on her, and Su spoke an answer.  "Music can have the same effects as some kinds of potions," she said.

"That's one," Alina said.  "By using nothing more than a simple melody, you can produce effects upon your listeners identical to those that result from some potions, such as Confusion Concoction, Love Potion, Sleeping Potion, and Truth Serum.  Music does not replace potions, though; you must still attend Professor Snape's class."

The students giggled again.  Another student, Michael Corner from Hufflepuff, raised his hand.  "It can give you power over other creatures," he said.

"That too," Alina said.  "Very good, Michael.  One must be quite advanced to exert significant control over a period of time longer than a few seconds, but sometimes, just a few words can docilize say, a pixie for about a minute."  She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.  "We are out of time for today.  Hurry along to your next class and don't forget to study for tomorrow's quiz."

As the students gathered their things and headed for the exit, Alina made her way over to Draco Malfoy.  "Your lack of motivation is troublesome, Mr. Malfoy," she told him.  "If I do not see more incentive from you soon, you will fail this class.  Consider yourself warned."

Draco waited until her back was turned to glare at her.  His two sidekicks, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe, were waiting for him by the exit.  "Don't mind her," Draco said as the three boys left the Music room.  "She won't fail me."

Alina heard Draco's comment, but she didn't have time to bother with him right now.  Madam Pince, the librarian, had just entered the room and was walking up to her.  "Can I help you, Madam Pince?" Alina asked.

"Headmaster Dumbledore would like to see you, Professor Terringer," Madam Pince answered.  "He's in his study."

"Thank you, Madam Pince," Alina said.  "I'll go right away."

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was pouring over some old texts when a knock on the door to his study brought his thoughts away from research.  "Come in," he called.

The door opened.  Dumbledore pulled his glasses down to the bridge of his crooked nose and looked up.  "Ah, Professor Terringer," he said.  "Glad you could come so quickly."

"Is something wrong, sir?" Alina asked.  Dumbledore's pet phoenix, Fawkes, let out a chirp.  "Hello, Fawkes," she said to the bird, smoothing the feathers on top of its head.

Dumbledore smiled when he saw her pet Fawkes.  "Fawkes seems to have taken a liking to you," he commented.

Fawkes squawked.  Alina smiled and stroked the bird's back.  "I've always had a connection with magical animals," she said, drawing her hand away from Fawkes and walking over to Dumbledore's desk.

"I could tell.  Fawkes has never taken to anyone like he has to you."

"But that's not why you wanted to see me, is it?"

"No, it's not.  I needed to ask you about your classes.  How are the students?  Are they cooperating with you?"

"Yes, for the most part," she answered.  "There are a few problems, but as a whole, my classes are very productive and cooperative."

"Musical Enchantment is a department we have wanted to bring to Hogwarts for a long time," Dumbledore said, "but the shortage of experts in the field has made that task difficult.  I'm afraid some of the students might not understand the significance of what you do."

A smile played at the corners of her mouth.  It was true that Musical Enchantment was a very complex, mysterious discipline, and few people attained the level of aptitude that was required to teach it.  The end result was worth all the difficulty required to get there, though; someone with her skill rarely had to turn to other forms of magic.  "I've only been here a week, sir," she said.  "They have to know the basics of music before they can begin to fathom its importance."

Dumbledore brought his hand up to his forehead and gave it a gentle tap.  "Of course, of course.  This is your field.  I'm just… excited, I guess you could say.  I've always had some personal interest in Musical Enchantment, but this is the first time in Hogwarts history that we've had it.  It's very exciting."

The two of them talked for about ten minutes.  Topics of discussion ranged from the origins of Musical Enchantment to how it could be put to practical use here at Hogwarts.  Alina then said she had things to attend to, and excused herself.  Once she was gone, Dumbledore looked at his phoenix and said, "You know, Fawkes, I really think we have ourselves a winner in that one."

Fawkes squawked.

Dumbledore laughed.  "My thoughts exactly," he said, and he turned his attention back to his book.

A few minutes passed, and there was a knock on his door.  Dumbledore was puzzled.  He didn't recall any appointments he might have made, and since it was during the day, most of the teachers would be instructing class.  "Come in," he said.

The door opened, and although Dumbledore immediately recognized the dark-clothed, fair-haired, grey-eyed man standing in the doorway, he found it hard to believe that it was actually him.  "Malfoy?  What brings you here?"

Lucius Malfoy took a deep breath and crossed the room over to Dumbledore's desk.  "This is going to sound strange," he said, "but I need your help."


	3. Something's wrong with Malfoy

~~ Chapter Three: Something's wrong with Malfoy ~~

"This is a very serious situation, Mr. Malfoy," Albus Dumbledore said to Lucius Malfoy as the two of them walked on a stone path through one of Hogwarts' many gardens.  Lucius had just finished telling Dumbledore what happened to him and how the Ministry of Magic was unable to help him.  "Are you certain it was Vol… him?"

"There is no doubt in my mind," Lucius returned.  "Only he would be powerful and ruthless enough to break into my house and kill everyone."

"What did you _do?" asked Dumbledore._

In truth, Lucius didn't know he _had done anything that might provoke Voldemort into doing what he did.  "I'm not sure.  He said that I am no longer capable of doing what was entrusted to me."_

"You were a Death Eater once," Dumbledore said.  "Perhaps he thinks you are unable to support him anymore."

"It's possible."  Of course it was possible.  It was even likely.  Lucius was getting sick of Voldemort and his inability to succeed in his schemes.  He had no desire to support someone like that, but he never said that out loud.  Could Voldemort have perceived his doubts and turned against him?

Dumbledore continued.  "But regardless of the why, the what still remains.  I will speak to the other staff members.  I cannot promise you anything at this point, but I assure you that I will vote in favor of keeping you and Draco here until we are sure the danger has passed."

Lucius was taken aback.  He hadn't expected Dumbledore to be so… well, supportive.  "Thank you," he said, surprised to hear himself speak those words.

Just then, something caught Lucius's ear.  It was the sweet, gentle sound of someone humming.  "Do you hear that?" he asked, straining his ears to hear more.  The sound was almost intoxicating, and he felt something tugging at his heart.

Dumbledore listened for a moment.  Lucius's hearing was much better than his, but soon enough, he heard it, too.  "Yes, I do."

"Where is it coming from?" Lucius asked.  The voice seemed to be coming from all directions at once, surrounding them, engulfing them in its soothing tones.

"That way, I think," Dumbledore said, motioning toward a ring of willow trees about thirty feet off the path.

Lucius stepped off the path and walked over to the trees.  He hid himself behind the trunk of one, then peered into the clearing.  A pool of clear water was the highlight of the glade, but there was something – no, make that some_one else there, too.  It was a woman, and he guessed the humming came from her.  He watched her, enraptured by what he heard and saw.  Anyone could see that the woman herself was beautiful.  Golden brown hair hung down to her mid-back, and sparkling, honey-colored eyes peered out from beneath perfectly arched eyebrows the same color as her hair.  She wore robes of navy accented with gold.  Slender hands were clasped at her waist.  What was even more beautiful than her appearance, though, was her voice.  It could shame the ringing of the finest silver bells and make mountains bow at her feet.  Even he was having trouble keeping composure as he fell under the spell of her song._

Dumbledore smiled to himself and joined his companion under the shade of the willow tree.  "Who is she?" inquired Lucius.

"Her name is Alina Terringer," Dumbledore answered.  "She's the world's foremost expert on Musical Enchantment.  She's also the newest member of our staff.  Joined us a week ago."

A week.  That explained why he didn't see anyone like her when he came to see Draco at the beginning of his business trip two weeks ago.  "Terringer…" Lucius said thoughtfully.  "I don't think I've heard of that family before."

Dumbledore almost didn't want to tell Lucius the truth about her, but he figured he might as well find out now.  "I'm not surprised.  Her parents are Muggles."

Lucius stopped breathing.  Slowly, he turned his head away from Alina until he was looking Dumbledore in the eyes.  "_What?"_

"Not so loud!" Dumbledore said, but it was too late.  Alina heard them, and her humming stopped.  She looked in their direction and, since the willow tree's trunk was too small to conceal both of them, saw her two observers.

"Hello?" she said.

"Come on," Dumbledore grumbled, and stepped out from behind the tree.  He walked over to Alina.  Lucius was close behind.  "Professor Terringer!" he said.  "Fancy meeting you here."

She looked relieved when she recognized Dumbledore.  "It's you, sir," she said.  Then, she saw Lucius.  "Who is this?"

"Forgive me for not introducing you," Dumbledore said.  "Lucius, this is Alina Terringer, Professor of Musical Enchantment.  Alina, allow me to present Mr. Lucius Malfoy."

"Malfoy," Alina repeated, narrowing her eyes at Lucius.  "You must be Draco's father."

Lucius didn't like the way she spoke to him.  Her voice had an unmistakable undertone of irritation to it.  "How could you tell?" he asked dryly.

"You have the same eyes," she answered.  "The same cold, steely, aristocratic eyes."

If Lucius's cold, steely, aristocratic eyes had been daggers, Alina would be dead.  Dumbledore spotted the look and put his hand on Lucius's arm, causing the other man to break his gaze with the Musical Enchantment professor.  "Draco is one of her problem students," he explained in a low whisper.

The whisper wasn't low enough, and Alina heard him.  "I hope he listens to you," she said.  "He certainly doesn't listen to me, or anyone else, for that matter."

"That may change in light of what I came here to tell him," Lucius said.  

A smug smile crossed Alina's face.  "I knew it."

"You knew what?" Lucius asked.  He was reaching the end of his patience with this woman.

"Oh, nothing.  Just the confirmation of my opinions on 'well-bred' purebloods.  You arrogant aristocrats are all the same."  She tossed her head.  Her hair shimmered like spun gold.  "You only listen to each other."

"And you Muggle-borns are all the same," he retorted.  "Whining half-wits who could never fully appreciate magic.  If you'll excuse me, please."  Without another word, he turned around and walked back toward the main building of Hogwarts.

"What a charming man," Alina said sarcastically as soon as Lucius was out of earshot.  "He is most definitely Draco's father."

"Give him a chance," Dumbledore said.  "It's possible, although highly unlikely, that he's not all bad."

Alina folded her arms across her chest.  "Is it?  I don't think so.  Malfoy's reputation precedes him.  They're all the same."

Dumbledore said nothing.  It was true that the Malfoy family was one of the most evil he'd ever met, but for some reason, he had a feeling that this time, Lucius was to be trusted.  He and Draco were the only ones left of their bloodline.  Dumbledore respected the fact that Lucius wanted to protect his son, even if it was just for the sake of passing on the family name.  If Draco was killed, Lucius could easily find another pureblood witch to marry and produce an heir from.  It was too early to tell, but maybe Malfoy _was changing._

"They might be all the same," Dumbledore said, "but we don't know everything about them."

"Something's wrong with Malfoy," Harry Potter said to Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley after classes that day.

"Something's _always wrong with Malfoy," Hermione replied.  "This shouldn't surprise you."_

"No, something's _really wrong with Malfoy," Harry said.  "I haven't seen him in hours.  His father's here and everything."  The three Hogwarts student spotted their old friend Hagrid, the groundskeeper, passing by, and waved him down.  "Hagrid!" Harry shouted, running over to the half-giant.  "Hagrid, do you know what happened to Malfoy?"_

"Maybe he got expelled and his father's here to pick him up," Ron offered, then started laughing.  Hermione, too, couldn't help giggling a little bit.  Harry felt a grin playing at his mouth, but managed to suppress it.  He was concerned about the situation, and wouldn't be able to laugh about it until they knew for sure what it was.

"You shouldn't be laughing, young Weasley," Hagrid said.  Ron immediately shut up.  "I spoke with Headmaster Dumbledore not half an hour ago.  That Malfoy, he's had terrible things befallin' him in the last few days."

"What happened?" asked Harry.

Hagrid's large head gave a sad shake.  "It's terrible, kids.  Shouldn't have happened to anyone, not even a Malfoy."

"Hagrid," Hermione said, "what happened?"

"They're dead," Hagrid answered.  "His entire family.  Slaughtered by You-know-who just days ago.  Draco and Lucius are the only ones left… but I shouldn't have told you that."


	4. The Compromise

~~ Chapter Four: The Compromise ~~

            "You know, I'm really worried about Malfoy," Harry Potter said to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger as the three of them walked to Transfiguration.  "I haven't seen him since Musical Enchantment yesterday.  He wasn't at dinner last night, either."

"I overheard Snape talking to Trelawny last night," Hermione said.  "He won't come out of his room or talk to anyone, not even his father."

"Poor guy," Harry mused.  He knew what it was like to lose a family.  Awful as Draco was, he still felt sorry for him.

"Don't feel sorry for him," Ron said.  The three of them stopped walking.  "It's not like he has feelings or anything.  And he's still got that dreadful father of his."

"Hmph!" Hermione said.  "If I were Draco, that would only make me feel worse."

"You couldn't understand," Harry told his friends.  "Both of you still have your parents.  I have to live with my aunt and uncle, and they're almost as bad as the Malfoys."

Hermione shook her head.  "No, Harry, they're not."  She hugged her textbooks to her chest and started walking again, leaving the boys behind.

Ron and Harry watched her go, making no attempt to stop her.  Due to all the run-ins she'd had with Draco in her time at Hogwarts, Hermione was very touchy when it came to the Malfoys.  Although she was one of, if not _the finest student there, Draco always jumped at an opportunity to point out that she would never be a "true" witch because her parents were Muggles._

"I'm going to go talk to him," Harry decided once Hermione was out of earshot.

"Who?" Ron asked.  "Malfoy?"

Harry nodded.  "But not until after Transfiguration.  Come on.  McGonagall will kill us if we're late."

They were late, and although Transfiguration instructor Minerva McGonagall didn't kill them, she _did threaten to turn them into flowerpots if it happened again.  Ron and Harry apologized, then took their seats.  McGonagall began the lesson, but Harry's mind wasn't on Transfiguration.  He was thinking about Draco Malfoy.  Draco wasn't his friend – not even close – but just the same, Harry thought he deserved some sympathy, no matter what Ron and Hermione said.  He made up his mind to grab his father's invisibility cloak after class and then head over to Slytherin.  Hopefully, he wouldn't get caught._

A loud slam on his desk brought Harry's thoughts back to the moment.  Minerva McGonagall was on his desk with a yardstick in hand.  "Harry Potter," said her stern voice, "you are not paying attention.  If I have to speak to you about this again, the entire class will get extra homework."

"Pay attention, Harry," Hermione hissed through clenched teeth as McGonagall walked back up to the front of the classroom.  "Stop worrying about Malfoy."

Harry focused his attention on the lesson, but he didn't stop worrying about Draco.  Someone was in need, and he could help.  The fact that that person was Draco Malfoy was a minor technicality.  Who knew?  Maybe this would lead to the repair of a relationship he never knew was worth saving.

While combing the shelves of the Hogwarts library for a book she believed to contain melodies to help with healing, Alina Terringer spotted Lucius Malfoy out of the corner of her eye.  He was sitting at a table, reading a book.  She was too far away to read the title, and she certainly didn't want to go anywhere near him, so she remained in place and tried to forget about him.  As she looked for the book, she had the strangest feeling that she was being watched, so she glanced back at Lucius again.  His eyes skimming across the pages of the book were his only movement.  Not even a single strand of his flaxen hair was out of place.  Alina narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, then returned to the task at hand.

"Can I help you, Professor?"

Alina nearly jumped at the sound of Irma Pince's voice.  It must have been the librarian whose eyes she had felt.  "It's all right, Madam Pince," she replied, spying the book she was looking for and pulling it off the shelf.  "I found what I'm looking for."

Madam Pince's eyes glanced at the spine of the book.  "'Remedial Properties of Music'," she read.  "It seems the power of music knows no limits."

"It does have some," Alina said, "but I believe it to be the most encompassing of all fields of magic.  I never even studied Potions, Charms, or Care of Magical Creatures during my last two years at Beauxbatons because Musical Enchantment included all of it."

"Is the statistic true?" inquired the Hogwarts librarian.  "That only one in two million witches or wizards become Masters of Musical Enchantment?"

A small grin flickered on Alina's face.  "Actually, it's one in two million, seven hundred ninety-six thousand, three hundred and four, but yes, something like that."  Impulsively, she glanced over at Malfoy again.  He moved to turn the page, but that was it.

Madam Pince saw her glancing over toward the tables, and wondered if something was going on.  "Is everything all right, Professor?"

"That man, Lucius Malfoy," Alina said, and the librarian nodded.  "What can you tell me about him?"

Madam Pince took a deep breath, then placed her hand on Alina's arm and led her over to another section of the library, one that was almost completely deserted.  "I'll warn you now, Professor Terringer.  Malfoy is trouble with a pedigree.  Back in the seventies, a group of Hogwarts students decided that they were going to follow the Dark One.  He was one of them.  That time is over, but his abominable nature still remains.  He hates Muggle-borns and half-bloods and does everything he can to prevent them from attending Hogwarts.  I thought that, considering your lineage, you might want to keep your distance."

"You can say it, Madam Pince," Alina told her.  "I'm a Muggle-born.  It doesn't offend me.  It's who I am, and it will never change.  But I am also a witch, and that will never change, either."

Madam Pince continued.  "He's a horrible, horrible man, Professor.  He's got the Ministry of Magic wrapped around his little finger.  He doesn't care about anyone, not even his son.  The only thing he's interested in is passing on the family name.  I'd stay as far away from him as possible if I were you."

It sounded like good advice, especially after what she saw of him yesterday.  But at the same time, Dumbledore's words echoed in her mind.  "They might be all the same, but we don't know everything about them."  There must be more to Malfoy than there seemed.

"No, Albus, I do not agree with it at _all_!" shouted Minerva McGonagall later that day.  "That man is _not_ to be trusted!"

"Minerva, calm down," Dumbledore said, motioning downward with his hands for emphasis.  "There is more going on here than meets the eye."

"It is not my eye this situation meets, it is my head," Minerva replied.  "Lucius Malfoy is evil.  We have never known him to be anything _but_ evil.  It's completely illogical that he would change his ways without warning."

"His family is dead," Dumbledore said, trying to remain calm.  He was always much better at keeping his cool than the deputy headmistress.  "That is powerful motivation."

"Have you ever known him to care about anyone, or anything?"

He wasn't quite sure how to reply.  "Well… no…"

"My point exactly."

"But still…"

Minerva let out a long sigh.  "You're a good man, Albus, but I fear your convictions cloud your judgment.  Malfoy had his chance.  He chose that life.  He chose to follow the Dark Lord."

"He didn't choose to be betrayed."

"Maybe not, but he deserved it."

He knew it was pointless to argue with her.  She always won.  Just the same, though, Dumbledore thought her conclusion about Lucius was drawn too quickly.  He didn't see what Malfoy could possibly gain from their protection, and his family _was_ dead.  That had to count for something.  "Perhaps he did deserve it, but refusing to help him certainly won't turn him into a good man any sooner."

Minerva's deep brown eyes stared into his.  "Do you really believe he's worth saving?"

"I believe that if we _can_ save him, it will be worth it," Dumbledore replied.

A weary smile crossed her face.  "I thought you'd say something like that.  All right, I'll go with you on this one."  The smile vanished, and was replaced by her usual stern expression.  "But if he makes one wrong move, he's _out_. End of story."

Why not?  It was a good compromise, and probably the only one he could get at this point.  "Fair enough."  He held out his right hand to confirm the arrangement with a handshake.  Minerva gave him a suspicious look, but grasped his hand with hers.  "Are we in agreement?"

"We are in agreement," Minerva answered.

The handshake was short and stiff, the handshake of two professionals who, although they may not always agree, held each other in the highest esteem, and with greater fondness than they were willing to admit, even to themselves.  Dumbledore was the first to draw his hand away, but not after giving her fingers a gentle squeeze.  Minerva tucked her right hand into her left, glanced at the floor momentarily, then said, "I need to work on my lesson plans for the next few days."  Without another word, she was gone.

Dumbledore couldn't help smiling at her white lie.  Minerva McGonagall's lesson plans were always done at least a week ahead of time.


	5. A Friend in Need

~~ Chapter Five: A Friend in Need ~~

            "Go away."

            Draco Malfoy's voice was muffled by depression, the door, and the invisibility cloak the listener was wearing, but Harry Potter still managed to hear him clear enough to understand what he was saying.  The cloak allowed him to sneak into Slytherin undetected, but Harry was worried about what might happen if someone walked by and heard their voices.  "I'm not going to go away," Harry said.  "I want to talk to you.  Please."

            There was a pause.  "Who is it?" Draco finally asked.

            "Harry," he said.  "Harry Potter."

            "Do you know how much trouble you could get in for being here, Potter?" Draco asked.  "I won't tell anyone if you go away now."

            He would probably tell someone, anyway, so Harry decided to just stay there.  "Please, Draco, I want to talk to you.  I think I can help you."

            "No one can help me," came Draco's reply.  "Go away."

            "I'm not going anywhere until we talk."

            "We're talking now, aren't we?"

            "You know what I mean."

            Another pause.  "You're really going to be in a lot of trouble this time, Potter.  You aren't allowed to be here."

            "Do you think I care, Malfoy?" Harry asked.  "Do you think I snuck in here just because I wanted to see if it could be done?"  He paused, then spoke again.  "I can help you, Draco.  I know what it's like to lose your family."

            Draco didn't reply, but Harry could hear the sound of movement inside.  There was the click of a lock disengaging, then Draco's voice.  "All right.  Come in."

            Harry glanced from side to side to make sure no one was coming, then pulled off the invisibility cloak and opened the door.  Draco was standing by the room's only window with his back to the door.  Harry searched his mind for something to say, but it was the other boy who spoke first.  "They're dead," Draco said.  His voice was soft and weak, the complete opposite of the cocky, arrogant tone it usually had.  "My family…  I'm the only one left."

            "I'm sorry," Harry said.

            "You're sorry."  Draco closed his eyes and tightened his fists.  "They're all sorry.  But they can't do anything about it.  All they can do is be sorry."

            "You still have your father," Harry offered.  That was more than he was left with.

            "My father."  Harry wondered if Draco was aware that he was repeating what he was saying.  Draco turned around and looked at him.  His grey eyes were cold and angry.  "He doesn't care about me.  All he cares about is his reputation.  I'm the last of the Malfoy bloodline.  He can't let anything happen to me, or else he'd have to be bothered with going out and finding another pureblood witch to produce an heir."  He loosened his fists and placed a hand on the windowsill.  "I might as well be an orphan."

            "It's going to be all right," Harry assured him.  "Life will go on."

            Draco glared at him.  "How would you know?" he spat.  "Have you ever lost your entire family?"

            Harry nodded.  "Yes, I have."

            A change came over Draco.  His gaze softened, and he slumped down to the floor.  Harry walked over at sat down next to him.  "That's right, you have," Draco said.

            Harry turned his head so he was facing his companion.  "I had to live with my aunt and uncle," he said.  "They're the most horrible people I've ever met."

            "Even worse than me?" Draco asked.

            "By far," Harry said, and that elicited a small grin from Draco. "They weren't going to let me come back to Hogwarts.  Ron had to rescue me."

            "I wish someone could rescue me from my father," Draco mused.

            "That's what friends are for."

            Draco looked at his hands, folded up in his lap.  "I don't have any real friends," he said.  "Not the kind that would rescue me from Muggles."

            Harry was beginning to understand.  Draco was a bully because he was lonely, because he wanted to be cared about.  His mother cared about him more than anyone else, and now that she was gone, he was completely alone.  "If you let me," said Harry, "I will be your friend."

            For a few moments, neither one of them moved.  Then Draco turned his head toward Harry and smiled.  His smile was one of honesty and gratefulness.  "Really?"

            "Really."

            "You know what, Potter?  You're all right."

            Harry grinned and patted Draco on the shoulder.  "You too, Malfoy.  Come on.  We're late for dinner."

            "Where have you been?" Hermione Granger asked when Harry joined the students from Gryffindor at dinner.  "Everyone's been wondering about you."

            "Take a look over there," Harry said, nodding toward the Slytherin table.

            Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin table.  Draco Malfoy was sitting among his peers and conversing as if everything were normal.  Then he looked up and caught Harry's eye.  Harry smiled at him.  Draco smiled back, then returned to his conversation.

            Hermione's mouth dropped open, and she stared at Harry.  "I don't believe it," she said.  "You actually did it."

            "Malfoy's not all bad," Harry said.  "Just… misunderstood, I think.  We need to give him a chance.  Perhaps he'll change."

            "Well, here's hoping, anyway."

            That night, when all the students had (supposedly) gone to bed, Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy took a walk through the Hogwarts garden.  The two of them had matters to discuss, and since the garden was a peaceful, neutral environment, they decided to discuss them there.  If nothing else, they would most likely go undisturbed.

            "I was worried about how Draco would handle the news," Lucius said.  "Has he shown any sign of improvement since this afternoon?"

            "He was at dinner," Snape said.  "That shows that he's at least come out of his room.

            Lucius nodded in approval.  "Good.  Is he speaking to anyone?"

            "Yes, as a matter of fact.  After dinner, he and Harry Potter had quite the conversation."

            Lucius stiffened at the mention of Harry Potter.  "What did they talk about?"

            "Quidditch," Snape answered.  "About the upcoming game between Slytherin and Ravenclaw.  Then Draco asked about what he missed in classes that day."

            It seemed like a perfectly harmless conversation.  "They had a conversation without trying to kill each other?" Lucius asked, an undertone of disbelief to his voice.

            Snape nodded.  "That's the reaction I had, too.  Potter's family was killed by Voldemort, too, you know.  Perhaps the two of them can empathize with each other."

            That made sense.  "Yes, I suppose so."

            "You're not going to believe this, but Potter wished Draco good luck in the Quidditch game."

            Lucius stopped walking.  "What?"  Was his son becoming friends with Harry Potter?

            Snape was about to reply, but something caught his eye.  "What's that?" he asked, peering over Lucius's shoulder.

            Lucius turned around, and what he saw took his breath away.  It was a unicorn, glittering like the stars on a clear night.  It was standing still, with its long, graceful silver horn pointed at the sky and its silver mane and tail waving back and forth in the gentle night breeze.  The very sight of the divine creature was enough to render both men speechless.

            Finally, Snape found the ability to form words.  "A unicorn," he said reverently.

            "But how?" asked Lucius.

            "I don't know.  We'd better tell Dumbledore."

            "Good idea."

            The two of them had every intention of returning to inside the building, but they could not tear their eyes away from the unicorn.  Just then, a voice like the clear ringing of silver bells let out a simple melodious sequence of notes, and the unicorn turned its head in the direction the voice came from.  A woman walked up to it and stroked its neck.  The unicorn nuzzled its head against her shoulder, and she smiled and scratched it behind the ears.  Then she leapt up onto its back, and the two of them galloped out of sight.

            Snape shook his head.  "Alina Terringer.  It has to be.  No one else can sing like that."

            Lucius didn't find it completely inconceivable.  In his mind, anyone whose voice could melt a heart of ice like his, even if it was only for a few seconds, could easily charm a unicorn.  Just the same, though, the fact that a Muggle-born witch was capable of doing such things was annoying to him.  "What is it with her?" he asked.  "She's not a pureblood.  She's not even a half-blood.  How is she so powerful?"

            "Good question.  I don't know."

            Deep in the jungles of Ethiopia, a mountain called Ras Dashen towered fifteen thousand feet above sea level, dwarfing the world below.  Carved out of the sheltered southern face near the mountain's peak was a fortress.  Due to the severity of the surrounding environment, few had ever seen it, and fewer still had lived to tell about it.  It was this seclusion that made it the perfect place for evil plots to take shape.

            A sour-faced, dark-haired man wearing a long black cloak was walking through the stone halls of the fortress alongside a gazelle, of all creatures.  The man's name was Icarus Knight.  He was a former Hogwarts student who became a Death Eater in the seventies, then disappeared completely.  He was ready to resurface, but he needed instructions from his master, Lord Voldemort.

            The gazelle spoke.  "You didn't get Lucius Malfoy, Icarus.  I am most unhappy."

            "I am sorry, my lord," Knight said.  "He was not at Malfoy Manor when we attacked."

            "This is a very disappointing event," said the gazelle, who was none other than Voldemort himself in the form of the graceful creature.  "I thought we would only have Draco to worry about, and he would have been easy to get rid of.  Now Malfoy has gone to Hogwarts.  They will be much more difficult to get now."

            "This is just a minor setback," Knight assured his master.  "They _will_ die."

            "I hope so, for your sake," Voldemort said.  "You're lucky I have more faith in you than I do in Malfoy."

            The two of them reached a set of doors at the end of the hallway.  Knight placed his hand on the doors and pushed them open, and they walked inside.  The room, of moderate size, was taken up almost entirely by a large steel cage.  "They can't stop us," Knight said.  He smiled at the cage, and patted one of the steel bars.  "Not even Dumbledore is powerful enough to counter what I have in store for them."

            If a gazelle could smile, that's what Voldemort would have done.  "Excellent.  I must go.  If they are not dead in six month's time, you will be."

            Knight watched the gazelle as it left the fortress, then smiled to himself.  "Do not worry, my lord.  Nothing can save them from us."

            Beside him, the large, leopard-like creature in the cage let out a vicious snarl…

A/N: Alina's last name is pronounced TARE-inn-jer.  Just thought I'd clear up any confusion.


	6. Give Him a Chance

~~ Chapter Six: Give Him a Chance ~~

            It had been two weeks since Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had their heart-to-heart in Draco's room, and since then, the two had formed a genuine friendship.  Ron and Hermione still didn't approve of Harry's new friend, and they let him know that every chance they got, but Harry assured Draco that he was working on winning them over.  Draco wasn't the only Malfoy trying to make amends, though.  After seeing his son attempting to connect with those around him, Lucius Malfoy was inspired to do the same.  He knew that the first relationship that needed to be saved was the one with his son.  The question was how.

            Now that he decided what he was going to do, Lucius thought it would be a good idea to decide how he was going to do it.  He needed advice, though, but where to go for it?  Finally, he decided on asking the wisest man he knew – Albus Dumbledore.

            Lucius was on his way to Dumbledore's office when he ran into Sibyll Trelawney, the Divination instructor, who told him that Dumbledore wasn't there.  "Do you know where he is?" Lucius asked after Trelawney gave him the news.

            "I saw him heading toward Transfiguration about ten minutes ago," Trelawney answered.  "If he's not there, Professor McGonagall might be able to steer you in the right direction."

            Lucius suppressed a grimace.  Minerva McGonagall was one of his least favorite people in the world, and he was one of hers.  They were satisfied with their discontent as long as they didn't have to interact with each other.  But if it could help him connect with Draco, it would be worth it.

            He thanked Trelawney and walked over to Transfiguration.  The door was cracked open about three inches.  Lucius was ready to knock, but he stopped when he heard voices inside.

            "I still don't know, Albus."  It was McGonagall.  "I don't know if I'll ever find it in my heart to trust him."

            "I never said we had to trust him, Minerva," replied Dumbledore's voice.  "I said that if we can save him, it will be worth it."

            "It's too late for Lucius," McGonagall insisted.  "Draco's still young.  There's a chance for him.  Not for Lucius."

            "Well, we should give him one.  A chance, that is."

            "Why are you doing this?" she asked.  "Why are you so sure that you can save him?"

            "I never said _I_ would save him.  I said we, referring to Hogwarts as a whole.  When I first met Lucius, he was the typical Malfoy, not unlike how Draco was up until about two weeks ago.  If Draco can change, what if Lucius can, too?"

            "Are you saying that all he needs is a friend?"

            "Well… not exactly."

            "But you're implying it."

            "It wouldn't hurt."

            "How do you know that he won't take advantage of you and throw it back in your face, like he has with every other act of kindness you've tried to show him in the past?"

            "Because he has nothing to gain, that's why."

            Throughout the conversation between the two highest-ranking people at Hogwarts, Lucius could barely even breathe.  Here was Albus Dumbledore, a man he had hated all his life, trying to convince a woman he also hated all his life that he was worth saving.  All he asked for was their protection, and in truth, he didn't deserve that.  But Dumbledore was not only protecting him, he was trying to make friends with him.  What had come over these people?

            He couldn't wait to hear any more.  This was all the reassurance he needed.  Dumbledore had faith in him.  "I won't let you down," Lucius whispered, and left to find his son.

            Had he remained there, Lucius would have probably found the remainder of their conversation quite interesting.  As soon as he was out of earshot, Minerva brought up the topic of the Hogwarts instructor least likely to give him a chance.  "Good luck convincing Professor Terringer," she said.  "Her opinions about Malfoy aren't exactly secret, you know."

            "They didn't get off to a good start, either," Dumbledore said.  "But there has to be hope.  Professor Terringer is a Master of Musical Enchantment _and_ a keeper of a unicorn.  I'm sure Malfoy could get over the fact that her parents are Muggles."

            "But could she get over the fact that he's a pureblood from one of the longest bloodlines in wizarding history who has always hated Muggles and anything that has to do with them?"

            "Maybe, maybe not, but regardless of what the outcome may be, we have to try."

            The deputy headmistress let out a long sigh and slowly nodded.  "All right.  I trust your judgment.  You've never steered us wrong before."

            Dumbledore smiled and put his hand on her arm.  "My dear Minerva, one could not ask for a better friend."

            A smile cracked her stone face.  "Thank you."

            Her hand went on top of his, and he closed his fingers around it for a moment.  "I'm going to go talk to Terringer," he said.  "Wish me luck."  He slowly pulled his hand away and headed for the door.

            "Luck," Minerva said.

            Dumbledore glanced back at her and pulled his glasses down to the tip of his nose.  His blue eyes sparkled brightly.  "_Good_ luck, if you please."

            A small chuckle rose from the bottom of her throat.  "Good luck."

            "I… I don't think this is a good idea anymore, Harry."

            Harry Potter placed a reassuring hand on Draco Malfoy's shoulder.  "It's all right," he said.  "Once Ron and Hermione see that you really have changed, they'll be your friends, too.  We'll be like the Three Musketeers."

            Draco blinked twice and looked at Harry out of the corner of his eye.  "There were only three musketeers.  If your idea works, there'll be four of us."

            "You've never read the book, have you?" Harry asked.  "It was called The Three Musketeers, but there were four of them in the end.  Athos, Porthos, and Aramis were the original ones, but D'Artangan joined them."

            "Point taken.  One for all and all for one."

            "Oh, so you _have_ read it."

            "I glanced at it a couple times.  My father reads a lot of classic literature."

            The two boys were in the Hogwarts library, hiding behind a bookshelf, and waiting for the perfect moment to approach Ron and Hermione, who were studying for a test.  Now Draco was getting stage fright, and Harry was trying to restore confidence to him.  

"Come on, Malfoy.  You can do this," said Harry.  "I'm right behind you."

Draco took a deep breath, then stepped out from behind the bookcase.  As promised, Harry was right behind him.  The two boys walked over to the table Ron and Hermione were sitting at.  "Hi," Draco said.

Ron and Hermione looked up.  Ron's mouth dropped open.  Hermione was surprised, too, but she was better at concealing it.  "I'm sorry, do we know you?" Hermione asked.  "You look a lot like this kid named Draco Malfoy, but you couldn't possibly be him because Draco Malfoy is a rude, self-centered-"

"Hermione!" Harry interrupted.  "What's gotten into you?"

Hermione stood up.  "No, Harry, what's gotten into _you_?  What did he ever do for you?  Why does he deserve your sympathy?"

Draco stepped back and looked at Harry.  "I knew this was a bad idea," he said.  "Sorry for wasting your time, Harry."  Without another word, he turned around and left.

Harry sighed and turned back to Ron and Hermione.  "Now look what you've done," he said.

"You don't get it, do you, Harry?" asked Ron.  "You just don't get it.  Malfoy equals bad.  What part of that don't you understand?"

"The part where you draw conclusions about Draco without trying to get to know him," Harry answered.  "He's different now.  He just needed someone who could understand."

"Why should we believe that?" Hermione asked.  "For all we know, he could have you under some sort of spell."

Harry was reaching the end of his patience.  "Do you think it was _my_ idea that we come here so he could try to make friends with you?  It was his.  Why can't you just give him a chance?"

"It's no use," Draco said when Harry caught up with him outside the library.  "They don't want to have anything to do with me."  He sighed, folded his arms across his chest, and leaned against the wall.  "Of course, it's not like I ever gave them any reason to be my friends."

"Look, Draco," said Harry, "we can't change the past, but we can try to save our future.  They just need more time.  Once they see that you've really changed, it'll all be all right."

Draco closed his eyes, and a hopeful smile flickered across his lips.  "I hope you're right."

Harry nodded.  "Yeah, me, too."

"I'm sorry, sir.  I just don't see it happening."

Dumbledore was afraid he would get a response like that from Alina Terringer when he asked her about giving Lucius Malfoy a chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the wizarding world.  "I know you and Malfoy didn't get off to a good start," he said, "and I know you have a lot of conflicting interests, especially when it comes to your heritages, but I truly believe that if we just work at it, we can uncover a side of Malfoy we never knew existed."

Alina shook her head.  "With all due respect, sir, I've seen all of Malfoy that I care to.  I will admit that his son has shown considerable improvement in both academics and personality since becoming friends with Harry Potter, but children and adults have different behavioral tendencies.  I'm sure Lucius was like that once, but now all that remains is bitterness.  And I am well aware of what he thinks of Muggle-borns.  He hates us all."

"That may change," Dumbledore said.  "Assert yourself.  Show him that you will not tolerated being treated unfairly just because you're not a pureblood.  He's quite charmed by your singing, you know."

"Oh, goody," Alina said in a sarcastic tone of voice.  "Why don't I just la de da de da-" (here, she sang a five note scale) "-my way into his heart?  Trust me, you wouldn't want me to do that.  It would be too tempting to tell him to jump off a cliff."

"I think he respects you more than he's letting on.  You should have seen the way he went on about when he saw you with the unicorn.  He would hate me for giving you a direct quote, but these were his exact words: 'She's so beautiful.'"

"He was probably talking about Elessara."

"Then he said, 'But I know she hates me.'"

"That could be referring Elessara, too.  Unicorns don't like men much, and I'm sure _that_ man would not be an exception."

"Unicorns don't have 'a voice that would shame the Sirens.'"

There was no way _that_ comment could be about the unicorn.  "Well, isn't that ni – when did he see me with Elessara?"

"About two weeks ago," Dumbledore answered.  "I think it was a day or two after you met."

Alina sighed and folded her arms across her chest.  "Elessara warns me if there's any threats to our well-being nearby.  There was no warning."

"Look, even the unicorn agrees with me.  If Malfoy was a threat to your well-being, she would have warned you, and since there was no warning, Malfoy must not be a threat to your well-being.  Maybe you should give him a chance."

She rolled her eyes.  "Very well.  I'll try."

A/N: Time to clear up some more possible confusion.  There's been some sparks, but no, Dumbledore and McGonagall are _not_ romantically involved.  They might be, though… it depends on how their forming relationship is received by my readers.  If you think, Wow, this girl is stretching this story _way_ too far and Dumbledore and McGonagall are _way_ too professional to get involved, not to mention that it's completely against McGonagall's nature to even _bend_ the rules and their stupid little flirting is _way_ past the guidelines set for behavior, and top of that they don't have enough stinkin' _time_ for a relationship, let me know and their little flirting streak will fizzle out by the next update.  But if you think, You know, Dumbledore and McGonagall _do_ have a lot in common and it's so cute how they're on a first-name basis and everything and the idea of them getting involved has some merit, let me know and I'll try to develop their relationship further.  My defense is that these two interest me and I think they would make a charming (no pun intended), albeit unusual couple.  Anyway, let me know what you think.  Praise is nice, but criticism makes me a better writer.  ^_^


	7. One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

~~ Chapter Seven: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back ~~

            It was the end of another Musical Enchantment class.  To say the class had been productive was not quite accurate; it had, however, been entertaining.  They were studying lullabies, the branch of M.E. that dealt with sleep-inducing spells.  After a brief lecture, the students were instructed to find a partner and perform a short, simple lullaby, one that would only make the other tired for a few seconds without any other effects.  However, Mandy Brocklehurst accidentally made her partner, Neville Longbottom, fall asleep, and the class spent the rest of the period trying to revive him.  When they finally succeeded in the task, they were out of time for the day.

            "I'm sorry, Neville," Mandy told her partner when he woke up.  "I didn't mean it."

            Neville yawned.  "It's all right," he assured her.  He rubbed his eyes.  "Are there any songs that counteract the effects of lullabies?"

            "Al ah de na!" Alina Terringer sang in a voice so loud that it could be heard all the way out to the Astronomy tower.

            Neville's eyes flew open, and he almost jumped.  "I'm awake!" he shouted defensively.

            Alina smiled and nodded.  "Of course you are.  You might have trouble falling asleep tonight.  If you do, send for me.  Class dismissed.  Draco, would you stay for a minute, please?"

            Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy looked at each other.  "Um… sure," Draco said.

            "Are you in trouble?" Harry whispered.

            "I can't remember doing anything," Draco whispered back.

            "Do you want me to wait for you?"

            "No, it's okay, but thanks."

            Harry left, and Draco walked over to Alina, who was sitting on her desk.  "You can relax," she said.  "You're not in trouble."

            Draco was unable to hide his smile of relief.  "Thanks.  Is there something wrong?"

            She shook her head.  "Oh, no, not at all.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  I wanted to commend you for all the improvement you've made in my class over the last two weeks.  Are you enjoying Musical Enchantment?"

            He nodded.  "Yes, very much."

            "I thought so.  I also think you might like to know to know that I have considered starting a study group for the students most interested in M.E.  Would you like to be a part of it?"

            Draco was so surprised that for about ten seconds, he couldn't even breathe.  "Really?" he stammered.  "You want me to…  Did my father have anything to do with this?"

            "Absolutely not.  If he knew I was suggesting this to you, he would probably be angry with me."

            He wasn't following.  "And why is that?"

            "I'm afraid I'm not one of your father's favorite people, Draco," Alina said.  "We spoke once, two weeks ago, and that was quite enough for me."

            Draco didn't understand why his father wouldn't like Professor Terringer.  She was one of his favorite teachers, if not _the_ favorite.  "Why wouldn't he like you?" he asked.

            "Because I'm the first witch in a family of Muggles that dates back to the end of the Roman Empire, that's why."

            Now he was just confused.  He had no idea his instructor was a Muggle-born.  Two weeks ago, he would have hated her for telling him that she was anything less than a pureblood.  But now, his best friend was a half-blood, his favorite teacher didn't have any wizarding history whatsoever, and he didn't mind at all.

            "I know your family has been pureblood all through the ages, and if you don't want to associate with me because I'm not a 'true' witch, I won't hold it against you.  It's the way you've been raised, and-"

            "I'll do it," Draco interrupted.  "I'll join your study group.  Who else is in it?  When do we start?"

            Alina was taken aback.  She was under the impression that bloodlines were all that mattered to the Malfoys.  "Good," she said.  "Very good.  I thought we would start tonight.  Four other students have committed: Lisa Turpin from Ravenclaw, Anthony Goldstein from Hufflepuff, and Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger from Gryffindor."

            Hermione.  Draco stiffened at the mention of her name.  This would put them in close proximity to each other.  Could this be the big chance he was waiting for, to prove to her that he was trustworthy?  "Sounds great.  When?  Where?"

            "In here, after dinner.  It will probably last an hour or so."

            He still found it hard to believe that she wanted him in the study group, but he decided not to worry about it for now.  "All right.  I'll be there.  I'd better get going."

            She nodded.  "Yes, you should.  If you get a chance, remind the others."

            "I will, and thank you."

            Alina peered at him.  "For what?" she asked.

            "For giving me a chance."

            About ten minutes after Draco left, Alina Terringer's work on preparing for her next class was interrupted by a knock on the door.  "Come in," she called, not even looking up from her paper.  Odds were it was Dumbledore.  He said he might be dropping by sometime today.

            "Do you have a moment, Professor?" asked a voice that definitely did not belong to Albus Dumbledore.

            Alina looked up, and a wave of irritation washed over her.  "Malfoy," she said, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.  "What are you doing here?"

            "I would like to speak with you, if it's all right."

            She shook her head.  "I have nothing to say to you except please leave."

            "It's about Draco."

            Alina closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself.  What was it about this man that ignited such fury in her?  "Very well," she said.  "Sit."

            Lucius walked over to her desk and sat down on a stool next to it.  "I hear Draco's work is improving, especially in this class.  Is that true?"

            "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

            _Patience_, Lucius told himself, inhaling and exhaling slowly to keep his frustration hidden.  He didn't want to make an enemy out of this woman, although he feared it might be too late.  "Draco won't speak to me."

            "I can't say I blame him."

            She seemed to enjoy yanking his chain.  "My son and I have never been close, but I mean to change that," he said.  "I can't do it alone.  I need help.  He's taken a liking to you.  Can you help me?"

            Alina put her hand behind her ear.  "Do my ears deceive me, or did the unstoppable Lucius Malfoy just ask me for help?"

            He was having trouble keeping his anger to himself.  "Listen to me, Professor.  Draco is the only family I have left.  If-"

            "Save it, pureblood," she interrupted.  "You've done all for that boy you ever need to.  Draco has friends now, friends that care about him for reasons other than he's the last Malfoy."

            "Why are you so against purebloods?" Lucius asked.

            "Why are you so against Muggle-borns?" Alina replied.

            "I didn't choose who I was born to," he snapped.

            "Neither did I."

            Lucius was about to speak, then stopped himself.  She was right.  Nobody chose who their parents were.  He didn't choose to be a Malfoy, and she didn't choose to be a Muggle.  Why had he failed to see this all his life up until that point?

            "Mr. Malfoy, it doesn't matter to me whether you're a pureblood or not," she continued.  "I'm sure you'd be just as ill-tempered if you were a Muggle."

            "You really don't like me, do you?"

            She let out an exaggerated sigh of irritation.  "How in the _world_ did you arrive at that conclusion?"

            "I figured it out when you were insulting me less than five seconds after we met."

            Alina snapped her fingers and slammed her hand down on her desk.  "Wonderful.  Now that we've had that wonderful little interlude, don't you have some lives to destroy?"

            Lucius didn't understand why she had such a grudge against him.  It was true that he hadn't been the most trustworthy person in the past, but Dumbledore, his greatest enemy up until two weeks ago, had given him another chance with minimal persuasion.  "Professor, I don't want to be your enemy."

            "Too late."

            "Isn't there anything I can do to prove to you that I've changed?"

            "Yes.  You can die a slow, painful death, alone with all your misery.  And if you are not out of this room by the time I count to ten, I will put you in a sleep so deep you won't wake up for a hundred years.  One…"

            "Whatever you think you know about me, you're wrong."

            "Two…"

            He stood.  "I'm leaving, all right?"

            "Three…"

            Lucius walked over to the door.  He placed his hand on the doorknob, but instead of opening it, he looked back at Alina.

            "Four…"

            "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

            "Five…"

            "I'm as good as gone," he assured her, opening the door and closing it behind him as he stepped out into the hall.  Out of curiosity, he wondered if she was still counting, so he pressed his ear to the door to listen.

            "I know you're still out there, Malfoy!" she said.  "Six…"

            She wasn't as easy to fool as he thought.  So much for making peace with Professor Terringer.  He had to try to connect with Draco any way he could, with or without the help of his son's favorite teacher.  With would be easier, of course, but he was a Slytherin.  It would take more than a few hits to stop him.

A/N: Okay, gotta pick on Lucius a bit… sheesh, what a guy won't go through to get his girl!  *giggles*   Lucius has his work cut out for him, and there's still lots more to come… you _have_ figured out by now that the story's main couple is (well, will be eventually) Lucius and Alina, right?  Right???

Anyway, Dumbledore and McGonagall.  *snaps fingers, points at audience, and winks*  Feedback. 


	8. Sock Drawers and Violin Jokes

A/N: This chapter has little substance, but it's pretty dang funny.  (I think Oliver makes a good violin player)  If you're itching for action, though, the next chapter will feature a Quidditch game that nearly ends in tragedy…

~~ Chapter Eight: Sock Drawers and Violin Jokes ~~

            "No, that's not how it works… Anthony, maybe it would be a good idea if you just gave me the – Anthony!  Do you have any idea how long it takes me to _tune_ that thing?"

            Lisa Turpin, Draco Malfoy, and Alina Terringer tried not to laugh as Oliver Wood attempted to wrestle his violin away from Anthony Goldstein.  They were unable to hold it in for long, though; the sight of the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team trying to free a violin from the clutches of a Hufflepuff nearly four years younger than him was far too amusing to just sit back and watch.

            "Maybe it wasn't a good idea to let him see your violin, Oliver," Lisa pointed out.

            "Thanks for the warning," Oliver grumbled.  "Where's the bow?"

            "Right there," Alina said, pointing to a long shaft of wood lying on the table in front of Oliver.

            Oliver picked up the bow and gave Anthony a quick tap on the head with it.  Anthony was so surprised that he released the violin.  "Thank you," he said.  "And you had it on the wrong shoulder, by the way."  He placed the violin on his left shoulder while pointing out to Anthony that _that_ was the correct shoulder, and then brought his bow up to the strings.  "Professor, could you be so kind as to give me a concert A?"

            Alina's melodic voice hummed the desired pitch for almost twenty seconds, plenty of time for Oliver to get his violin back in tune.  "Thanks," the Gryffindor said, setting his violin down in his lap.  He glared at Anthony, then tightened his grip on the bow.

            "Don't hurt me," Anthony pleaded, attempting to hide behind Draco.

            "I won't hurt you," Oliver said.  He glanced around the room and plucked a random pizzicato melody on the strings of his violin.  "Too many witnesses."

            Seeing Oliver's obsession with his violin made Alina think of a joke she heard in her childhood, and the memory made her smile.  "What's so funny?" asked Draco, noticing the amused expression on the teacher's face.

            "Just a memory," she said.  "Oliver, did I ever tell you my father was a violin player?"

            Oliver's eyes lit up.  "Really?"

            She nodded.  "Yes.  Jonathon C. Terringer VIII, Concertmaster of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for ten years."

            "Was your mother a musician, too?" asked Lisa.

            "Yes.  She sang soprano for the Chapel Royal choir," Alina answered.

            "Why did you attend wizarding school all the way in France if you're from England?" inquired Draco.

            "I almost went to Hogwarts," Alina said, "but Beauxbatons was the only school in Europe that had a Musical Enchantment department.  Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that was what I wanted to be: a Master of Musical Enchantment.  Don't ever let anyone tell you that dreams can't come true."  She glanced at the clock.  "Goodness gracious, where is Hermione?  I've never known that girl to be late for anything."

            "Maybe she heard I was coming," Draco said.

            "Don't be ridiculous, Draco," Alina replied.  "Hermione would not throw away an educational opportunity because of a personal grudge."

            "What was the memory that was so funny?" asked Oliver.

            "A joke I overheard my father telling my mother when I was about seven," the instructor answered.  "I didn't understand for several years, but I wasn't a violin player.  I tried to be, but my strength was in my voice.  You would get it, Oliver, but I don't think the others would.  And," she said, leaning in close to him so as to whisper in his ear, "it can be quite scandalous if interpreted incorrectly by the non-musician."

            "Is it…," Oliver said, whispering a slightly risqué music joke he knew into her ear.

            Alina shook her head.  "No, it's worse than that."

            "Tell me," Oliver pleaded.

            "That's not fair," Anthony protested.  "If you tell him, you should tell the rest of us, too."

            "How about she tells Oliver, and if Oliver thinks we'll understand, he'll tell us?" suggested Lisa.

            Anthony shrugged.  "Works for me."

            Alina whispered several words to Oliver.  The young man's eyes grew wider and wider with every passing moment, and when she reached the punch line, Oliver had to cover his mouth with both his hands to keep from exploding with laughter.  "You're right," he said when he was able to speak again.  "That _is_ bad."

            Just then, the door flew open, and in came Hermione Granger.  "Sorry I'm late," she said.  "Ron couldn't find his stupid wand, so half of Gryffindor was helping him look for it.  Blame it on Ron's sock drawer.  That's where it was."  She spotted Draco and froze.  "You," she hissed.

            Draco gave a timid wave.  "Hi, Hermione."

            "Draco, Hermione, do you think you two could be kind enough to put your differences aside for the next hour?" Alina requested.  "We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it in."

            Hermione sighed and sat down next to Lisa.  "Fine.  One hour a day, Malfoy.  That's all you get from me."

            When no one else was looking, Draco caught his teacher's eye and gave a small smile.  When she was also sure that the other students weren't watching, Alina smiled back.

            "Hey, Ron?"

            "Yeah, Harry?"

            "Have you noticed anything funny about McGonagall lately?"

            "She didn't give us any homework today."

            "Besides that."

            "Oh."  Ron paused.  "No, not really, no."

            The wand fiasco that kept Hermione from her study session had been over for almost five minutes, and the two boys were in the Gryffindor common room, lounging around and staring at the ceiling.  Ron was lying on a couch, and on the floor right next to him was Harry.  Ron rotated his body so he was now lying on his side, looking down toward his friend.  "Out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

            Harry removed his glasses, placed them on his chest, and rubbed his eyes.  "I don't know.  Lately, she just seems less…"  He searched his mind for the right word, but couldn't seem to find it.

            "Grumpy?" Ron offered.

            "Yeah."  Not quite the word he was looking for, but close enough.  He replaced his glasses and propped himself up on his elbow so he could look at Ron when he spoke.  "And is it just me, or does she spend an awful lot of time with Dumbledore?"

            Ron cocked his head to the side and shrugged his eyebrows.  "Maybe they're secretly in love and have to keep it under wraps or suffer severe consequences."

            "Ron," said Harry, "you're scaring me."

            "Hey, I could be right."

            "You could.  Or, more likely, you couldn't be more wrong."

            "Tell you what, Harry.  If I'm right, I'll kiss Draco Malfoy on the mouth."

            "That's disgusting, Ron."

            "I know, but what are the odds that I'm right?"

            Harry thought for a moment.  Ron had a point with that one.  "Slim to none."

            "Exactly."

            Suddenly, the boys heard footsteps behind him.  Ron peeked over the back of the couch, then gasped and dropped down to Harry's level.  "It's McGonagall!" he said.

            "Where?" Harry asked, sitting up.

            Ron didn't answer.  "Let's follow her!" he suggested excitedly.

            "Maybe that's not such a good ide – Ron!"

            Ron was already on his feet, trying to get as close as possible to the head of Gryffindor house without being detected.  Harry sighed and stood up.  "Well, here we go again."

            Since Harry had taken the time to go back to his room and get the invisibility cloak, it took him a while to catch up with Ron and McGonagall, but it was worth it.  Now the two boys could travel at a much closer distance with almost no fear of being detected.  Harry decided that if they were going to go through the trouble of following her, they might as well make it worth it.

            "Where's she going?" whispered Ron as they followed her through the halls of Hogwarts.

            "It looks like she's heading for Dumbledore's office," Harry said.

            Ron's face lost some of its color.  "Do you think they really are secretly in love?" he asked.

            "Of course not," Harry answered.  "She's the deputy headmistress.  I'm sure she has a perfectly professional reason for seeing him."

            Ron looked slightly relieved.

            Halfway up the staircase leading to Dumbledore's office, Minerva McGonagall and her two invisible companions rounded a corner and met none other than the headmaster himself.  "Albus!" McGonagall exclaimed when she saw him.  "What are you doing all the way down here?"

            "Looking for you, of course," Dumbledore replied, placing his hand on the handrail and descending the steps until he reached her.  "You were fifteen minutes late.  I was starting to get worried."

            "Well, Ron Weasley lost his wand, and half of Gryffindor was looking for it for over twenty minutes."

            "Good heavens.  Did the boy find his wand?"

            "Oh, yes.  If not, we would still be looking."

            "Where was it?"

            "His sock drawer."

            Harry had to hold his breath to keep from laughing.  Ron was getting more and more pale by the second.

            Dumbledore chuckled.  "Blame it on the sock drawer.  That Weasley may be a burden sometimes, but he really is a wonderful boy."  McGonagall nodded in agreement.

            "You hear that, Ron?" Harry asked, gently elbowing Ron in the ribs.  "You're a 'wonderful boy.'"

            "Lucky me," Ron said sarcastically, rubbing his ribs where Harry poked him.

            "Do we know anything more about the Terringer/Malfoy situation?" inquired Dumbledore.

            Minerva shook her head.  "Nothing more than what I told you this afternoon.  Draco has joined the Musical Enchantment study group and Alina threatened to turn Lucius into Rip Van Winkle."

            Dumbledore smiled at her.  "And I thought you would be the hard one to win over."

            A rare grin flickered on her face, and she put her hand over his that was on the handrail.  "I could care less about Lucius, but I trust you, and that will be my strength."

            Dumbledore took another step closer to her, and they kissed.  It wasn't their first kiss, but it _was_ the first that had been witnessed by anyone other than Fawkes the phoenix.  When the kiss ended, the Hogwarts headmaster slipped his arm around his second's waist.  "We'd better get going," he said.  He glanced at the stone walls on either side of them.  "The staircase is a nice place and all, but we can't save the world from here."

            Minerva put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder.  "I couldn't agree more," she said, and together, they walked up the staircase.

            Ron and Harry raced to the bottom of the staircase as fast as they dared.  Once they were sure the headmaster and deputy headmistress couldn't hear them, they removed the invisibility cloak, and Ron grabbed Harry by the shoulders and nearly threw him against the wall.  "Harry," Ron said frantically, "I am _not _kissing Malfoy!"

            "Ron, relax," Harry said, patting his friend's wrists.  "You said secretly in love.  For all we know, they could be secretly… infatuated."

            "Harry, they're old and they were kissing.  It's _love_."

            Harry was having a hard time refraining from laughing at his friend's misfortune.  Leave it to Ron to suggest something as crazy as a romantic relationship between Dumbledore and McGonagall and be right.  "Tell you what, Ron.  I won't hold you to your declaration that you were going to kiss Malfoy…"

            Ron gave a relieved smile.

            "… as long as you try to make friends with him."

            The smile vanished from Ron's face and was replaced by a look of disgust.  "I'd almost rather kiss him."

            The Musical Enchantment study group was productive for the rest of the hour, discussing the history of M.E. and its applications in the modern world.  All five of the students were captivated, of course, but it was Oliver Wood and Draco Malfoy who were the most interested.  Oliver had been a musician all his life and loved anything even remotely related to music, but Draco's fascination surprised even himself.  The boy had never taken to anything like he had to Musical Enchantment.  Perhaps he had finally found his niche.

            After Professor Terringer released them, Oliver pulled Draco aside.  "Malfoy, I'm impressed," he said.  "I never knew you were so interested in music."

            "Neither did I," Draco admitted.  He glanced at Oliver's violin.  "How long have you been playing violin?"

            Oliver glanced at his violin and smiled.  "Since I was two, I think.  When I was nine, I went on tour with the London Philharmonic as a soloist."

            "Wow.  That's really amazing, Oliver."

            "Thank you.  You've got great musical potential.  Were you thinking about focusing on vocal or instrumental music?"

            Draco shrugged.  "I really don't know.  An hour ago it was just Musical Enchantment that I was interested in.  Now, even normal music seems fascinating."

            Oliver grinned.  "You know, if you played violin, we'd just have to find a viola and a cello, and then we could have a string quartet."

            Professor Terringer glanced over at them.  "Recruiting violin players, Mr. Wood?"

            Gryffindor's Quidditch captain laughed.  "I'm trying, Professor."  He handed Draco his violin.  "Try it," he said.  "But don't touch the tuning pegs."

            Draco touched the bow to the strings and gently pushed it forward.  The violin let out a squeak.  He laughed and gave the instrument back to Oliver.  "Got any trumpets?"

            Oliver shook his head.  "Sorry.  Come on, let's go."

            The two boys left the Musical Enchantment classroom and headed for the staircase that led to the houses.  Then, Draco remembered something.  "Hey, Oliver, what was the joke Professor Terringer told you?"

            A smile crossed Oliver's face.  "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

            "Absolutely."

            "Okay."  Oliver took a deep breath and began.  "A violin player and her boyfriend went shopping at the mall one day.  The violin player needed to go to the music shop, so they went there first.  Then she remembered that she left the lights for their car on, and her boyfriend offered to pick up what she needed while she went out to turn them off.  The violin player walked to the front of the music store, then turned around and shouted at her boyfriend, 'Honey, don't forget that I need a new G string!'"

A/N: No, Dumbledore and McGonagall do not go off and do naughty stuff.  They're trying to figure something out, but I can't tell you just what it is yet, or that would spoil the big surprise coming…


	9. It's Just a Game

A/N: Yay, action.  It's about time.

~~ Chapter Nine: It's Just a Game… ~~

            After Potions the next day, Harry Potter hurried to catch up with Draco Malfoy and wish him luck before Slytherin's big Quidditch game with Hufflepuff.  A reluctant Ron Weasley was close behind.  "Draco!" Harry called.  "Wait up!"

            Draco stopped walking.  His face lit up when he saw Harry.  "Hi!" he said.  "I can't talk long.  Flint will kill me if I'm late."

            "Don't worry," Harry said.  "We won't talk your ear off.  We just wanted to wish you luck."

            "'We'?" Draco repeated, glancing at Ron.

            "You heard him, Malfoy," Ron said.  "Good luck."

            A smile crossed Draco's face.  "Thanks, Weas– Ron."

            Harry snapped his fingers as he remembered something.  "Oh, and Oliver told me to tell you that he doesn't know about any trumpets, but he may have located a French horn.  I didn't understand, but he said you would."

            "French horn," Draco said thoughtfully.  "Okay.  Thanks, guys."

            "You're welcome," said Harry.  "And good luck."

            The Quidditch game was scheduled to begin in five minutes.  Ron and Harry made their way over to the Gryffindor area as fast as they could.  "I hope Hermione remembered to save us spots," Harry commented as they climbed the stairs.

            "Me, too," Ron agreed.  "Um, Harry?  Does _cheering_ for Draco fall within the limits of our bargain?"

            Harry grinned.  "No, Ron, you don't have to cheer for Draco.  But I will, and I have a feeling someone else will, too."

            "Who?"

            "Oliver Wood."

            "_Wood_?" Ron choked.  "Now Wood's on Malfoy's side, too?"  He sighed and rubbed his forehead.  "This day just keeps better and better."

            They reached their destination.  Hermione Granger was standing by the railing next to Oliver Wood.  The two of them were deep in discussion about something.  "Oh, hi Ron, Harry," Hermione said when she saw the two of them.  Then she went back to her conversation with Oliver.  "But anyway, yes, there's a cello in my attic at home.  My father used to play.  I tried it when I was little, but it was as big as I was, so I didn't get very far."

            "Excellent!" Oliver said.  "So if you learned how to play cello, we'd have half of the string quartet.  I'm almost sure I could get Malfoy on violin; he just needs a little more coaxing.  Now, for a viola."  He glanced at Ron.  "Hey, Ron, you don't happen to play viola by any chance, do you?"

            Ron blinked and scratched his head.  "What's a viola?"

            "It's a stringed instrument, like the violin, only a little bit larger."

            "I don't think so," Ron answered.  "Fred used to play trombone, though.  We might have his old trombone at home somewhere."

            "Maybe I'd have better luck trying to form a brass quintet," Oliver commented.

            "Hey, maybe," Harry said.  "Look!  Here come the teams!  Come on, Slytherin!"

            "I _never_ thought I'd hear him say that," Hermione whispered to Ron.

            "Yeah!" shouted Oliver.  "Let's go, Slytherin!"

            "I never thought I'd hear _him_ say _that_," Ron whispered back.

            Hermione shook her head.  "What is the world coming to?"  She then pointed her finger at Ron and said, "_Don't_ answer that."

            "Glad you could join the fun, Malfoy," Albus Dumbledore said when he saw Lucius Malfoy come into the instructor's box.  "This should be quite an exciting match."

            There was an open seat to the headmaster's left.  To Dumbledore's right sat Minerva McGonagall.  "May I sit here?" Lucius asked.

            "Of course," Dumbledore replied, sliding a few inches closer to McGonagall to give Lucius a bit more room.  "Have a seat.  Don't know what good it'll do you, though.  You'll probably be on your feet cheering most of the time."

            Lucius managed a small grin.  "Let's hope so.  Go, Slytherin."  Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of what he guessed was Alina Terringer.  He turned his head slightly to get a better look, and it was indeed the Musical Enchantment professor.  She appeared to be deep in conversation with Severus Snape, of all people.  That puzzled him, but this was not the time or the place to contemplate what was going on.

            "Something wrong, Malfoy?" Dumbledore asked, noticing Lucius's movement.

            "No, everything's fine," Lucius replied, a little too quickly.

            McGonagall raised an eyebrow suspiciously.  Dumbledore saw the wary look on her face.  They were sitting close enough that no one could see him reach for her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.  "Trust me," he whispered.

            Her head gave a slight nod.  "I'm trying."

            The Quidditch players were in place.  Madam Hooch, the referee, was preparing to release the balls.  Draco Malfoy closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his nerves.  A lot depended on this game.  If Slytherin won, it would put them in second place, behind Gryffindor.  They had to win.  They just had to.

            Madam Hooch blew her whistle.  The game had begun and the balls were in the air.  Slytherin's captain, Marcus Flint, reached for the Quaffle, but a Hufflepuff chaser just barely beat him to it.  The Hufflepuff flew as fast as he could toward the goal, but Flint was close behind him.  Then, out of the corner of his eye, Flint saw a Bludger coming toward him, fast.  _Where are those beaters?_ he thought to himself.  He dropped his altitude a few feet, and the Bludger hit the Hufflepuff in the hands, causing him to drop the Quaffle.  Flint was ready.  He grabbed the Quaffle and made a large arc with his broom, changing directions toward the Slytherin goal.

            Flint tossed the Quaffle to Warrington, who was in position to score.  However, the nearly unstoppable Cedric Diggory, the captain and keeper of the Hufflepuff team, was also in position – position to prevent Slytherin from scoring.  Thinking fast, Flint flew over to the opposite side of the goal and waved his arm.  "Warrington!  Here!" he shouted.

            Warrington tossed Flint the Quaffle.  As soon as it was in his hands, Slytherin's captain threw it at the center hoop.  Score!

            "Ten points for Slytherin!" shouted Lee Jordan, the commentator.  The crowd erupted into cheers.  "Diggory takes the ball for Hufflepuff.  He passes it downfield to…"

            Draco's eyes scanned the vicinity for the Golden Snitch.  The tiny gold ball was painstakingly difficult to catch, let alone find, but he had succeeded in the game against Ravenclaw.  Although the main reason he was Slytherin's seeker was because his father bought the entire team new broomsticks last year, Draco was good at what he did and probably could have got the position of seeker on his own.

            Draco spotted something moving nearby.  There it was!  It remained in place long enough for him to see it, then took off again.  "Oh, no you don't," Draco said, and flew after the Snitch.

            Hufflepuff's seeker saw his movement, and fell into place right behind him.  The two wove in and out of the other players as they pursued the Snitch.  All of a sudden, a chime was heard, and Lee Jordan's voice announced, "Michael Corner for Hufflepuff!  Tie game!"

            They were tied.  It was still early in the game, but that was beside the point.  If they were tied now, odds were they would keep going back and forth like this until the very end.  Draco wanted a decisive win for Slytherin, not a narrow victory or even worse, a narrow defeat.  He just _had_ to catch the Snitch.

            The Quaffle was in the possession of Slytherin again.  It was passed to Montague, who made his way down the field with Flint on one side and a Hufflepuff on the other.  Something else was trying to join the trio, specifically Flint – a Bludger.  At the last second, one of Slytherin's beaters appeared and wacked the Bludger away.  Montague passed the Quaffle to Flint, who made a break for the goal.  He threw the Quaffle, but the attempt was stopped by Diggory.

            "Diggory's a machine," commented an admiring Oliver Wood.  "Slytherin's got their work cut out for them trying to get past him."

            "Look, there goes Malfoy, after the Snitch," Ron said, pointing above their heads.  Draco had just flown over them in his pursuit of the tiny golden ball.

            "That'll probably be their only chance," said Oliver.  "I know that's the only way we beat them.  How's your shoulder, by the way, Harry?"

            Harry smiled.  Last week, the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff game ended in a victory for Gryffindor because he managed to catch the Snitch, but he sustained a dislocated shoulder by flying into the wall in the process.  "It's fine, thank you," Harry told him.

            "Maybe they'll figure a way to outwit Cedric and get some points," Hermione said.

            "Ernie McMillan scores!" came Lee Jordan's voice.  "Twenty ten, Hufflepuff!"

            "They'd better figure out a way fast," Oliver said.  "Pucey's a decent keeper, but he's not as fast as Diggory.  Maybe if they could get their beaters to move more…  I'll talk to Malfoy.  Flint will probably listen to him before he'll listen to me."

            Hermione sighed and shook her head.  "Quidditch players," she said.  "Well, at least he's not talking about violins anymore."

            Oliver smiled at her.  Hermione blushed and looked away.

            "Come on, Malfoy," Harry said, gripping the rail tightly.  "You can do it."

            Hufflepuff had the Quaffle.  Ernie McMillan and Michael Corner were flying parallel to each other, tossing the Quaffle back and forth as Flint wove between them, trying for an interception.  A Slytherin possession didn't come until Michael threw the ball at the goal – Pucey managed to block it, and Warrington got the Quaffle when it fell.

            Warrington passed the Quaffle to Flint, who looked for an opening downfield.  When he saw none, he decided to advance the Quaffle by flying.  Warrington fell in alongside him as a guard.  Flint didn't need a Chaser guard, though – he needed a beater.  There was a Bludger headed right for them.

            As if on cue, Derrick, one of Slytherin's beaters, came from underneath and wacked the Bludger almost straight up.  He then joined the escort to ward off any other Bludgers as the Quaffle was advanced toward the Slytherin goal.  Cedric Diggory was ready for them.  Flint pretended to throw the Quaffle to the goal, but in actuality, it was passed to Montague, who was waiting on the other side of Hufflepuff's keeper.

            Diggory wasn't about to fall for that trick again.  Montague threw the Quaffle at the goal, and Diggory blocked it – rebounding it right into the hands of Marcus Flint.  Flint threw the Quaffle toward the right ring, and Diggory wasn't fast enough to block it.  The score was tied, twenty to twenty.

            While Flint, Derrick, Montague, and Diggory executed their performance at the goals, Draco pursued the Snitch high into the air.  His broom was at an almost vertical angle as he closed in on the tiny ball.  It was just beyond his reach.  Perhaps if he stretched a little bit farther…

            Suddenly, something hit Draco's broomstick.  It was the Bludger Derrick had hit to keep it from colliding with Flint.  Since he was reaching for the Snitch, Draco's balance was off, and the high-velocity Bludger hitting his broomstick destroyed all his stability.  He lost his grip on the broomstick and began to fall.

            Harry's heart nearly stopped beating.  "Oh, no," he gasped as he watched his friend plunge toward the earth.  "No…"

            Shock and fear seized Minerva McGonagall's heart as the young Malfoy fell from his broomstick.  She tightened her grip on Albus Dumbledore's hand and slowly rose to her feet.  Beside her, Dumbledore did the same.  Two other people in the instructor's box were standing before them – Alina Terringer and Lucius Malfoy.

            "Oh, no," McGonagall gasped.  "No…"

            Marcus Flint was the first one to come out of the shock-induced trance when Draco was knocked off his broomstick, and the Slytherin captain flew as fast as he could toward his falling teammate.  However, Flint wasn't fast enough.  Draco hit the ground, and all was silent and still.

            "Oh, my God," Hermione said.  "Is Malfoy dead?"

            McGonagall's breathing and heart rate accelerated.  "He's not moving," she said.

            "We have to get down there," Dumbledore said.  He glanced to his left.  "Lucius-"

            But Lucius was already gone.

            "Back up!" Marcus Flint shouted to the horde that was crowding around Draco.  "Give him some room to breathe!"

            Lucius Malfoy broke through the circle surrounding his son and dropped to his knees next to the unconscious boy.  "Draco," he said, putting his hand on his son's shoulder.  "Draco, can you hear me?"

            Harry Potter was the next person to work his way into the opening.  Close behind him were Oliver Wood and Alina Terringer.  "Is he dead?" Harry asked.

            Lucius reached for his son's wrist.  "No.  There's a pulse, but it's faint.  I can barely feel it."

            Alina placed her hand on Draco's bloody cheek and began to sing a soft melody.  "Ah na la de da, ah la na day dee…"

            Draco spasmed and coughed up blood.

            Lucius looked at Alina with flaming eyes.  "What are you doing?" he demanded.

            "I'm trying to save him, if you don't mind," Alina sang, then went back to random wording.

            Lucius bit the inside of his cheek.  "I'm sorry."

            "Out of the way, everyone!" shouted Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, as she burst into the circle.  "We've got to get this boy to medical at once!  We've not a minute to lose!"  The broomstick-mounted first aid team was close behind her.  Draco was carefully loaded onto a stretcher, and he was carried back to the castle as fast as they dared.

A/N: You're most likely getting sick of my commentary, but I think this is necessary.  I probably should have done this earlier, but I never said what year it was.  In this chapter, we learned it was Harry and Co.'s third year because Draco does some quick reflection on how he became Seeker, but that doesn't quite make sense because if I did my math right, Marcus Flint should be gone…  *much banging of head against the wall and cries of "Bad Dobby!"*  So just relax and try not to incorporate logic, okay?

And another thing… I plan to write a revamped version of this story, sans the Mary Sue.  The new one will have the same basic plot as this, but it will be much, much darker and I will attempt to preserve the evil nature of the Malfoys.  I've been told that the story has potential, so I'll try that and see how it works.  Keep your eyes open.


	10. Someone Special

~~ Chapter Ten: Someone Special ~~

            Madam Pomfrey and the rest of the medical staff worked as fast as they could to save Draco Malfoy after the fall, but even they knew the boy's chances for survival were slim.  A concussion sustained when he fell rendered him unconscious, but that was the least of their concerns.  They concluded that he had at least four cracked ribs and was suffering from massive internal bleeding.  The only thing they could do was put a healing spell on him and wait for it to take effect.

            Lucius Malfoy had not left Draco's side since the boy was brought to the hospital wing.  The elder Malfoy wasn't quite sure what had come over him.  Up until the deaths of Narcissa and everyone else at Malfoy Manor, Lucius considered Draco to be nothing more than his successor.  Now, as Draco's life hung by a thread, Lucius was finally understanding what the difference was between a parent and a father and an heir and a son.

            It was well past midnight.  Lucius was sitting in a chair next to Draco's bed, reading by candlelight.  Two unoccupied chairs were on the other side of the bed.  He couldn't have fallen asleep even if he wanted to.  He was too worried about Draco to do anything but wait.

            The sound of footsteps caused Lucius to glance up from his book.  When he saw that that he was being joined by Alina Terringer, his eyes returned to the page and tried not to look at the Musical Enchantment professor.  She took notice of his presence, of course, but did not acknowledge it.  All she did was sit down in one of the two chairs opposite him and lay her hand on Draco's arm.  Her head was bowed, and Lucius thought he saw tears forming in her eyes, but the angle and lighting were all wrong for him to be certain.  They sat in silence for almost a minute, and then Alina spoke.  "Have you ever met someone who makes you rethink your entire outlook on life?"

            Lucius looked up from his book.  "Present company excluded?" he asked.

            "I don't know if you've realized this, Mr. Malfoy, but Draco is a very special boy," Alina said.  "I've known him less than a month, but that's been long enough for me to understand that he didn't 'change' into someone else.  Rather, that 'someone else' is just another side of him that's been kept secret for so long, even he almost forgot it existed.  He'll always be Draco Malfoy, but the question is, just who is Draco Malfoy, anyway?  With that thought in mind, how can we be sure anyone is who they are?"  She paused to rub at her eyes, and Lucius's suspicions that she was shedding tears were confirmed.  "People don't change, they just reveal more of themselves."

            Lucius looked at his unconscious son.  Draco's eyes were closed in a combination of sleep and unconsciousness, and there was a large cut above the right eye that was starting to swell.  Draco landed on his right side, and it was that side of his body that sustained the most damage.  His normally pale skin was almost as white as the sheets that lay around him, save for the blotchy purple bruises in several areas.  His lips were slightly parted, and his breathing was irregular, sometimes coming in long draws and sometimes in quick gasps.  Lucius found it strange that he never realized how much his son resembled him, even in this state.  The two were exact copies of each other.

            "He _is_ special," Lucius agreed, "although I fear my realization of this may have come too late."

            Alina sensed the need for a change of subject.  She glanced at the book Lucius was holding.  "What are you reading?" she asked.

            He held it up so she could see the title.  "_Tess of the d'Urbervilles_," she read.  "Excellent work of literature."  She paused as if trying to remember something, then spoke.  "'"Justice" was done, and the President of the Immortals, in Eschylean phrase, had ended his sport with Tess.  And the d'Urberville knights and dames slept on in their tombs unknowing.'"

            "'The two speechless gazers bent themselves down to the earth, as if in prayer, and remained thus a long time, absolutely motionless: the flag continued to wave silently," quoted Lucius.

            "'As soon as they had strength they arose, joined hands again, and went on,'" Alina finished.  "You are well versed, Mr. Malfoy."

            "As are you, Professor," he replied, impressed at her recital of the last paragraph in the book he was reading.  "Do you read Hardy often?"

            "Not as often as I would like.  Musical Enchantment is a very demanding field of study."

            Unable to concentrate on reading anymore, Lucius closed the book and placed it on the nightstand next to Draco's bed.  He felt an urge to ask her what she was discussing with Snape earlier that day, but he wasn't sure how she would react.  It was probably something completely innocent, like their respective areas.  Teachers talked about things like that.

            Lucius was saved from entertaining other thoughts by the sound of two sets of footsteps approaching them.  He looked up to see who was coming, and Alina turned around to see for herself.  "Good evening Headmaster, Professor," Lucius said.

            "No, good _morning_," corrected Albus Dumbledore, "for that is the hour."

            "I could not sleep."

            "Nor are you expected to be able to," said Minerva McGonagall.  "It is only logical for you to be concerned about the welfare of your son."

            Lucius was unable to hide the surprised look on his face that appeared when the deputy headmistress spoke the line that seemed so innocent on the outside, and yet encompassed everything he had been striving for in the last two weeks.  His lips moved, as if trying to form words, but no sound emanated from them.  Alina spoke for him.  "Why don't you two sit down?" she suggested, placing her hands on the armrests of her chair in preparation to stand.

            "Don't get up, Professor," Minerva said.  She closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and disappeared.  In the place she had been standing was now a tabby cat.

            Dumbledore smiled and sat down in the vacant chair next to Alina.  The cat leapt up onto his lap and sat down.  "Now," said the headmaster, "where were we?"

            "Reasons for being awake at this hour," Alina answered.  She looked at the cat, then pressed her hand to her temple and shook her head.  "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that, Professor McGonagall."

            If a cat could smile, that's what Minerva would have done.

            "I should think my reasons for being here quite obvious," said Lucius, "but if I may ask, Headmaster, what are you and Professor McGonagall doing awake at this hour?"

            "Just making our rounds," Dumbledore answered.  "What about you, Professor Terringer?"

            "I could not sleep, either," she answered.

            "Forgive me, but I find it odd that a person as experienced in Musical Enchantment as yourself would have trouble sleeping," Dumbledore remarked.  "Surely it would be no difficult task for you to come up with a lullaby to do the job."

            "Yes, but that's the funny thing about Musical Enchantment," Alina replied.  "It doesn't work on yourself, only on others."

            "There wouldn't be much of you left if that were the case," commented Lucius.

            Dumbledore caught the deeper inner hidden meaning behind Lucius's comment and grinned to himself.  Alina just looked confused, and slightly peeved because she didn't catch the full implication of his words.  The cat laid down and rested its head on Dumbledore's left hand.  With his right, the Hogwarts headmaster stroked the soft fur along Minerva's back.

            Alina eyed Dumbledore suspiciously, but said nothing.  Dumbledore took it upon himself to change the subject.  "Lucius, it may please you to know that I have not seen any student tonight that is not concerned about Draco and hoping for his speedy recovery," the headmaster said.  "You are not alone, and if you allow it, you will never be alone again."

            Lucius sensed that there were several meanings in Dumbledore's words, but he didn't feel like pondering them at the moment.  His head gave a slight nod.  "Thank you."

            The cat jumped down from Dumbledore's lap and changed back into Professor McGonagall.  "It's late," she said, "and Professor Terringer and I have classes tomorrow."

            "Point taken," said Alina.  She stood up, kissed Draco on the forehead, and left the room.

            The other three watched her go, and once she was out of earshot, Lucius spoke.  "I never realized she cared about Draco so much."

            "A lot of people do now," McGonagall replied.  "All you Malfoys are quite charismatic.  It's just a matter of opening up."

            "I'm glad there was still a chance for Draco."

            Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.  "You say that like you're a lost cause."

            "I _am_ a lost cause," said Lucius.

            "I don't think so."  Dumbledore looked at McGonagall.  "And she's working on it."

            Lucius looked toward the exit, in the direction Alina had gone.  "She does."

            "You're focusing on the negative," McGonagall said.  "Give her more time.  She may yet come around.  You two seemed to be conversing quite well when we came in."

            Lucius wrung his gloved hands and glanced at the floor.  "A fluke.  That's all it was."

            "Call it what you want, but the fact still remains that you've found common ground.  That's what we like to call progress."  The Transfiguration instructor turned her head toward the exit momentarily, then back at her companions.  "If you'll excuse me, please, I will retire.  Good night."

            Dumbledore stood and took her hands.  He whispered something that Lucius couldn't catch, then planted a quick kiss on her cheek.  McGonagall blushed, but she was also smiling.  The two men watched her go, and Dumbledore sat back down.

            "I saw that," Lucius said as soon as McGonagall was gone.  "Is there something going on between you two?"

            Dumbledore paused to think before answering.  "Minerva is very special to me," he said.  "We have… an understanding."  A smile flickered on his lips.  "She'll probably hate me for doing that.  She's terribly shy, you know."

            He shook his head.  "No, I didn't know.  That's news to me."

            "Oh.  Well, she is, believe it or not."

            "What did you tell her?"

            Dumbledore's face darkened.  His gaze rested on Draco for a moment, then went to the floor.  "I told her the same thing I'm going to tell you: be careful."  He lifted his head, and his blue eyes fixed themselves on Lucius.  "Until we know what this foe is, we can't protect anyone from it."

            "But didn't we decide that it was Voldemort who was behind the attack on my family?" asked Lucius.

            "We did," said Dumbledore, "but he's not going to stop there.  Voldemort certainly has a hand in this, but he's doing his work through another."

            "Who?"

            "I don't know, but I plan to find out."

Quick notes to reviewers…

Prongs – Sorry, no slashing… in this one.

Maeglin Yedi and RavensHaelo – Thanks for the advice.  A new version of the story, complete with evil Malfoys and no Mary Sue, is in the works.

Auri – This isn't my first fic (I've been writing ever since I could lift a pencil and I have several other fan fics up in various places around this site and the Web), but it _is_ my first Harry Potter fic.  I'm glad you're enjoying it.  Hee hee… yep, Dumbledore and McGonagall.

Aeryn Alexander – I never said how far Draco fell, but it was probably something on the line of at least a hundred feet, and it all happened so fast that no one had time to react.  (Actually, that's just my excuse for I didn't think of that, and besides, it was important for this chapter for Draco to get hurt.)  And as far as Snape goes, don't worry, haven't forgotten about him.  He's going to be playing a MAJOR part in upcoming chapters.  (I've even entertained thoughts of a love triangle between Snape, Lucius, and Alina, but I don't think it'll happen) 

Galileo – Yes, I had you in mind with the viola thing.  *mad giggling*  And yes, we will be seeing much, MUCH more of Icarus Knight.  No, you may not join the string quartet.  Oliver wants a _good_ viola player in there.  *laughs*  

The two mad Slytherins – Yeah, I know Cedric died in the fourth book, but this is set at the same time as the third book, so he's still around.  ^_^   Dumbledore and McGonagall probably do naughty stuff on their own time, but I'm trying to keep this at a PG-13 rating, so we will see little more than goo-goo eyes, flirting, hand holding, and the occasional kiss or two.  The main couple in this story is Lucius and Alina.  Besides being a pair I wanted to experiment with, the ridiculous cuteness of Dumbledore and McGonagall serves mostly to balance out the dysfunctionality of the other two.

Slytherin-grl – *blushes*  Aw, shucks…


	11. A Life for a Life

~~ Chapter Eleven: A Life for a Life ~~

            Harry Potter was on his way to Herbology when he heard someone call his name.  He turned around and saw Hermione Granger walking toward him at a rapid pace.  "Harry," Hermione said again, "how's Malfoy doing?  He's not dead, is he?"

            Harry couldn't help noticing how concerned Hermione sounded about the situation.  "I don't know," he answered.  "Last I heard he was still alive, but unconscious."

            "When was that?"

            "At breakfast this morning.  I heard it from Wood, who heard it from Percy, who heard it from Penelope, who heard it from Lisa, who was on her way to ask Professor Terringer a question about the M.E. study group when she overheard Terringer telling Snape how he was."

            Hermione arched an eyebrow.  "How nice.  With all those links, I'm probably the last person in the school who didn't know as of ten seconds ago."

            At that moment, they were joined by Ron Weasley.  "Hey, do you know if Malfoy's all right?"

            Hermione looked at Ron and said, "Make that second to last."

            "What?" asked Ron.

            "Never mind."

            "Malfoy's still out," Harry said.  "He's alive, but out.  We've got Musical Enchantment after Herbology.  We can ask Professor Terringer then."

            "Why would she know?" inquired Ron.

            Harry went through the links that led up to his knowledge of the situation.

            "Oh," said Ron.  He paused.  "Are you sure it was _Terringer_ telling _Snape_ and not the other way around?"

            Harry lifted up four fingers counted off his links, putting one finger down as he said each of the names.  "Lisa, Penelope, Percy, Wood.  Those sources are pretty reliable.  Why?"

            "Well, I think I missed something," Ron said.  "Snape's the head of Slytherin house and he's one of Malfoy Senior's best friends."

            "Yeah," said Hermione.  "So?"

            "So," Ron replied, "wouldn't it make more sense for Snape to know first and then tell Terringer about what's going on than the other way around?"

            Ron's ability to catch the smallest details and then expand upon them amazed Harry to no end.  "You've got a point there," Harry said.  "I'm pretty sure Wood said it was Terringer who told Snape."

            "So that means Terringer knew before Snape did," Ron deduced.

            Hermione let out an exasperated sigh.  "Ron, _where_ are you going with this?  I'm sure there's a perfectly logical reason for Professor Terringer to know about Draco's situation-"

            "Before the head of Draco's house?" Ron interrupted.  "Yes, Hermione, I'm sure there's a _perfectly_ logical reason for the person that should be third to know after Big Malfoy and Dumbledore found out from Professor Terringer."

            "Oooh, and another ten points for Weasley," Harry said.  "Quick, Granger, catch the Golden Snitch."

            Ron put his hand over his mouth to stifle laughter.  Hermione glared at Harry.  "Metaphorically speaking, of course," Harry said, trying not to laugh himself.

            "Okay, then, Mr. Smarty-Pants," Hermione said to Ron, "come up with a 'perfectly logical' reason that Terringer would know before Snape."

            Ron shrugged.  "I don't know.  Maybe Terringer's dating Big Malfoy."

            Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs.  "Shut up," he hissed.  "Don't even _start_ that again."

            "Why not?" Ron asked.  "I was right last time."

            "Right about what?" inquired Hermione.

            "Nothing!" Ron and Harry chorused.

            Hermione rolled her eyes.  "Whatever.  Anyway, you're totally wrong about that, Ron.  Everyone knows Terringer's sweet on Snape."

            Ron and Harry couldn't believe their ears.  Harry finally found the ability to speak for both of them.  "What?" he squeaked.  "Since when?"

            "You two were so busy cheering on Draco at the Quidditch game yesterday that you probably didn't see them," Hermione said.  "She was holding on to his arm and everything."

            "Well, you were so busy flirting with Oliver Wood that I'm surprised _you_ saw that," Ron replied.

            Hermione's face reddened, and she looked away.  "Ron," Harry said sternly, "that wasn't necessary."

            Ron felt bad, too, and he apologized.  "Sorry, Hermione.  I didn't mean that."

            A smile flickered across Hermione's lips.  "It's all right."

            "Still, though… Terringer and Snape?"  Ron looked at Harry.  "That's even grosser than Dumbld- ow!"

            Ron's comment was cut off by a quick jab in the ribs from Harry's elbow.  "Come on, let's get to Herbology," Harry said.  "We'll worry about crazy rumors later."

            In Musical Enchantment that day, a worn and somewhat disheveled Alina Terringer was giving a lecture on countermelodies when the doors burst open without any warning.  The class stopped listening to their teacher (who also stopped speaking) to see who was coming in.  It was Albus Dumbledore, moving at a rapid pace with a determined stride.  "Excuse the interruption, Professor Terringer, but this cannot wait," Dumbledore said.  "We need you down in the hospital wing immediately.  We're losing young Malfoy."

            "I'm on my way," Alina responded.  

She walked over to Dumbledore and opened her mouth to speak, but Dumbledore knew what she was going to say.  "If I may have the attention of the class," Dumbledore told the students, "I request that you all go back to your houses until this matter is resolved.  Classes are suspended until further notice."  He turned his attention back to Alina.  "Come.  We've not a minute to lose."

Draco Malfoy was barely clinging to life.  His skin had lost all almost all of its opacity, and one could see the purple veins stretched out like a spider's web over his arms, neck, and face.  The bruises on the right side of his body had only gotten worse.  Blood was filling his chest cavity, making every breath a struggle.  Every few seconds, his body gave a twitch, the sign of yet more life leaving him.  Draco's fighting spirit wasn't ready to give up, though.  Anyone else would have been dead long ago.

"How long has he been like this?" Alina asked, moving into the center of the ring of Hogwarts faculty that was gathered around the dying boy.  She walked over to the bed to get a closer look, and her heart almost stopped at the horror of what she saw.

"About half an hour now," Madam Pomfrey responded.  "When he started to turn for the worst, Professor Snape started brewing a healing potion, but it won't be done in time to have much of an effect."

Across from Alina, a broken Lucius Malfoy was on his knees next to his son's bed, holding on to the boy's hand like Draco was all he had left in the world, which wasn't far from the truth.  His grey eyes rose from his son and locked with Alina's.  "Is there anything you can do for him?" he asked desperately.

Alina was about to say something, but her words were cut off by the entrance of Severus Snape back into the circle with a stone bowl in hand.  "I'm not too late, am I?" Snape asked, kneeling down next to Alina and propping the bowl up on his knee.  He dipped his fingers into the thick green poultice in the bowl and looked at Madam Pomfrey for a response.

"I hope not, Professor Snape," was the nurse's reply.

Snape applied the poultice to Draco's exposed skin.  It made a hissing sound upon contact, and thin trails of smoke could be seen rising from the boy's flesh.  No one spoke, but they were all thinking the same thing – it was too little, too late.  Nothing could save him now.

Well, almost nothing.

Knowing what she had to do, Alina took a deep breath and placed her left hand on Draco's battered shoulder.  Her right hand went on top of Snape's, causing him to stop applying the poultice.  He shot her a surprised look, but more because he knew what she was doing than because she was stopping him.  They looked at each other for a moment, and Snape withdrew his hand.  "I hope you know what you're doing," he said to her.

She responded with a simple nod of her head, then focused all her attention on Draco.  A barely audible melody escaped from the confines of her vocal cords, then grew in volume to a level just above a whisper.

"What is she doing?" whispered Sibyll Trelawney to no one in particular.

Dumbledore took it upon himself to respond.  "It appears to be a healing enchantment of some sort," he said.  "Look!  Draco's breathing is becoming more steady!"

Sure enough, Draco was breathing slower and more deeply.  Color was returning to his skin.  The onlookers were so surprised that no one noticed the toll it was taking on Alina.  With each passing word, the Musical Enchantment professor's voice was getting softer, and her once smooth melody became choppy as life left her and flowed into Draco.  Then, Draco's eyelids began to flutter, and Alina fainted.

Snape, being closest to her, was the first one to realize what was happening, and managed to catch her before she could fall far.  The commotion caught the attention of the rest of the staff, as well as Lucius Malfoy.  "What happened?" demanded Minerva McGonagall.  "What's going on?"

"She must have transferred some of her life force to Draco," Snape concluded, looking at the unconscious, half-dead woman in his arms.  "There's a chance we can still save both of them, but we have to work fast."

"Did you hear?" Hermione Granger said at dinner that night, sitting down next to Ron Weasley and across from Harry Potter and Oliver Wood.  "Professor Terringer almost died trying to save Draco, and guess who was right there when she fainted?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Oliver.

"She thinks there's something going on between Terringer and Snape," Ron explained.

"Not just me," Hermione said.  "A lot of people."

"She's right," said Parvati Patil, who was sitting a few seats down and was close enough to catch part of their conversation.  "The whole school's talking about it."

"That doesn't make any sense at all," Oliver said.  "What do they have in common?  Terringer is lively and cheerful, and Snape is, well, Snape."

Ron and Harry exchanged looks, but said nothing.  In their opinion, after Dumbledore and McGonagall, nothing was beyond the realm of possibility.

Parvati shrugged.  "Maybe she sees something in him the rest of us don't."

"Well, _that's_ obvious," said Hermione.

Ron changed the subject.  "Does anyone know how Malfoy's doing?"

"A lot better, from what I've heard," Oliver said.  "Whatever Professor Terringer did, it worked."

"Of course it worked," said Harry, "but at what cost?"

Rubeus Hagrid was walking back to his hut after dinner that night when he noticed some strange claw marks on the trees that marked the edges of the Dark Forest.  This confused him, and he walked over to the tree to get a better look.  To the best of his knowledge, there were no creatures in the Dark Forest that could leave this kind of a mark except a werewolf, and these were far too large and deep to be from a werewolf.

Hagrid held his lantern up to the tree trunk and peered closely at the marks.  There were four of them, about two inches apart and at least an inch deep.  And it wasn't just on one tree – identical marks could be seen on several more trees deeper inside the forest.

This wasn't making sense.  Werewolves sometimes left marks like this on trees, but he had never heard of a werewolf being large enough to make marks of this size.  Furthermore, werewolves didn't often travel to the edges of the forest.  Hagrid was getting worried.  Should he tell Dumbledore?  Not tonight, he decided.  Better to wait until morning and see then.

That night, Hagrid awoke to the sound of scratching on his door.  The half-giant grumbled to himself and stepped out of bed.  He lit a lantern, then walked over to the door, wondering who it could be.  He hoped it wasn't Potter and Weasley.  They seemed to enjoy dropping by after hours.

As Hagrid approached the door, the scratching stopped.  This puzzled him, and he stuck his head out the window to see if he could see anything.  When he saw nothing, he shrugged his large shoulders and went back to bed.

The next morning dawned bright and early with the crisp freshness of late September.  Having heard no more scratching, Hagrid was certain there was nothing to be worried about.  When he opened his front door, though, he quickly changed his mind.

The thick wood of his front door was covered in claw marks, two inches apart and one inch deep…

A/N: Oooh, suspense.  *shivers*  I know this story has been kind of warm and fuzzy thus far (what with good Malfoys and Draco making lots of friends and Lucius trying to salvage his relationship with his son and Dumbledore and McGonagall's cute little romance and Cedric Diggory still alive), but trust me, it will get much, MUCH darker.  What's going on between Alina and Snape?  What are Dumbledore and McGonagall up to?  What left all those mysterious claw marks on the trees?  The answers to these questions and more are on their way…


	12. Ultimatum

~~ Chapter Twelve: Ultimatum ~~

            "I'm worried about them marks, Professor Dumbledore," Rubeus Hagrid said to Albus Dumbledore later that day as the two were leaving the hospital wing after checking on Alina Terringer and Draco Malfoy.  Both patients were in stable condition at the moment, leaning neither toward the better nor toward the worst.

            "Do you have any idea what could have left them?" Dumbledore asked.

            Hagrid shook his large head.  "At first I thought it was werewolves, but far as I know, werewolves don't go around sratchin' on doors."

            "No, they don't," Dumbledore agreed.  "How peculiar.  Describe the marks to me.  How wide?  How deep?  How many?"

            "It's four parallel gashes, about two inches apart and an inch deep," Hagrid said.  "Like I said, you'd think it was werewolf, but it's too big for werewolf.  Do you think we should put the school on alert, sir?"

            Dumbledore wasn't thinking about putting the school on alert.  It was a good idea, of course, but his mind was elsewhere.  "I wonder…"

            "Wonder what, sir?"

            "Malfoy," Dumbledore said.  "Whatever killed his family left slash marks on the body."

            Hagrid stopped walking.  The headmaster stopped as well.  "Do you think whatever tried to kill Malfoy there is going to try again here?"

            Dumbledore hadn't thought of that.  "I thought it might be the same type of creature, but no, that thought never occurred to me.  That is possible, although highly unlikely."  He cocked his head to the side in thought for a moment, then resumed walking.  Hagrid fell in stride beside him.  "I'll talk to Malfoy."

            Lucius Malfoy was in a daze.  Twenty-four hours ago, his son was inches from death, and now, a full recovery was almost ensured.  He didn't know what Professor Terringer had done, but he was eternally grateful.  If she survived, he made up his mind to thank her himself.  He was quickly learning his lesson about never knowing what you had until you lost it.  After the massacre at Malfoy Manor and Draco's near death, he was determined to never make the mistake of taking anyone for granted again.

            On Lucius's left was Draco's bed.  To his right sat Severus Snape.  The Potions Master was doing what he did best, and Lucius made an inquiry as to what sort of potion he was brewing up now.  "Deflating Draught," Snape answered.  "Surely you've noticed the swelling around Draco's rib cage."

            Lucius nodded.  "Yes, of course."

            Snape set the concoction down and looked at his friend.  "You don't seem like yourself lately, Lucius," he commented.

            "I haven't been myself ever since I got here," Lucius replied.

            "I noticed," Snape said.  "You can relax.  Draco will live, and you two will be safe here."

            "For now," came Lucius's response.  "But for how long, Severus?  When will it end?  How many more people will have to die before it stops?"

            Snape's dark eyes dropped down to the potion, and then to his right, where a bed holding the unconscious Alina Terringer was.  "I don't know," he finally said.

            Lucius noticed that Snape was looking at Alina, and a knot rose in his stomach.  He hoped with all his heart the Muggle-born Musical Enchantment professor would survive.  Never in his life had he heard of someone doing for a Malfoy what she did for his son.  He wasn't quite clear on what exactly happened, but from what he could deduce, she was inches away from giving her life to save Draco.  If she hadn't fainted when she did, she probably _would_ be dead.

            Snape's gaze turned back to Lucius.  "You're concerned about her, aren't you?" he asked.

            Lucius bit the inside of his cheek.  "Somewhat," he said.  He hoped Snape wouldn't be able to tell that it was the understatement of the century.  "I would like to be able to thank her myself."

            "I'm sure you would," Snape replied, "but the question is, will you?"

            He was talking in riddles again.  Lucius hated that.  "Severus, _what_ are you talking about?"

            "I think you know what I'm talking about."  Snape's eyes were locked with his as he spoke.  "I'm not going to play matchmaker for you, Lucius.  I can see that you're attracted to her, but you're not the only one.  If you don't make a move soon, someone else will."

            Lucius was taken aback.  He did think Alina was attractive, of course, but anyone could see that she was.  He never seriously entertained thoughts of pursuing a relationship with her that went beyond their forced acquaintanceship.  He shook his head in confusion.  "What do you mean by that?"

            "Half the student body already seems to believe you two are involved."

            "Don't tell me you believe the rumors of schoolchildren."

            "Of course not, but I _am_ close with Professor Terringer.  She speaks of you often."

            Lucius opened his mouth to speak, but Snape's words caught him off guard, and he lost his train of thought.  "She does?" he asked.

            "Yes, as if your head isn't big enough," Snape said, and that drew a smile out of both men.  "She doesn't like you much, but believe me, she's trying, and we all know she cares about Draco."

            "That much is obvious," Lucius said, looking at his sleeping son.  His grey eyes rested on Draco for a few moments, then turned back to Snape.  "You're 'close with Professor Terringer'?  How close is 'close'?"

            Snape shook his head.  "Wherever you're going with this, you're wrong.  We're friends, nothing more, nothing less."

            "Wonderful.  So she has charmed you as well."

            "Really, Lucius, you shouldn't jump to conclusions about people.  You've always had that problem, and where has it gotten you?

            "Have I?" Lucius asked.  "Name three people besides Alina Terringer that I've jumped to conclusions about."

            Snape almost laughed.  "That's easy.  Voldemort, Dumbledore, and Narcissa.  Do you want three more?  Potter, Weasley, and Draco."

            Lucius frowned.  Snape had him caught in his own web.  "All right, you win."

            Snape checked the Deflating Draught.  It was almost ready.  "Lucky me."

            One of the many things Lucius admired about Severus Snape was his ability to maintain a composed, albeit cynical attitude no matter what the situation.  His friend's words ran through his mind: "I can see that you're attracted to her, but you're not the only one.  If you don't make a move soon, someone else will."  Could Snape have possibly been hinting at a specific "someone else"?  It wasn't completely beyond comprehension.  "Severus," he said, "you said there are others waiting to make a move on Professor Terringer.  Might you, perhaps, be among those numbers?"

            Snape knew he had been caught, but his cool exterior didn't show it.  "The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted, "but I don't know what good it would do.  She's in love with _you_, Lucius."

            An old castle along the banks of Loch Lomond was the meeting place designated in a strange message Cornelius Fudge received by owl two days ago.  Ordinarily, the Ministry of Magic would disregard anonymous letters with mysterious insinuations like the one in question, but there was something about it that set it apart from other letters.  Maybe it was because the paper felt as cold as ice in his hands.  Maybe it was because the dark red ink used to write it looked more like blood.  Maybe it was because the letter hinted at being able to answer what happened at Malfoy Manor.  Mostly, it was five words: "an offer you can't refuse."

            His instructions were to come alone, and alone he came.  It wasn't easy to convince the Ministry to let him do that, but Fudge pointed out that he _was_ the Minister of Magic and that he could take care of himself on a quick trip to Scotland.  After all, his position was not exactly an easy one to get.  He had to prove himself time and time again, and even though he was only the Ministry's second choice behind Albus Dumbledore, he was still one of the most powerful wizards in the world.

            Fudge walked up to the castle's main door and knocked on it twice, as the letter instructed.  About ten seconds passed, and the huge door slowly creaked open.  He walked into the main courtyard of the castle.  It was quiet; so quiet it was almost eerie.  There were no birds chirping and no wind blowing.  The only thing he could hear was the beating of his own heart.

            Along one wall, Fudge spotted a door that was slightly ajar.  He walked over to it and was prepared to knock when a voice said, "Come inside, and shut the door."  Fudge was surprised, but he didn't show it.  He did as he was instructed.

            As soon as the door was shut, a candle ignited, providing just enough light for Fudge to see the outline of a dark-cloaked man sitting in a chair next to a massive table.  There was another chair a few feet in front of the man, one he presumed was meant for him.  This assumption was made correct when the man's hood nodded toward it and the sinister voice said, "Sit down."

            He did.  "Who are you?" he asked.

            "In time," the man replied.  "You recently refused help to Lucius Malfoy, didn't you?"

            "Not _recently_, recently," Fudge said.  "A little less than a month ago."

            "Why didn't you help Malfoy?"

            For a minute, Fudge entertained the thought that this was an attempt by Malfoy to make him pay for his refusal to assist them, but he quickly pushed it aside.  He knew Malfoy to sink to a lot of levels, but not low enough to assassinate the Minister of Magic and expect to get away with it.  Not even his sizeable fortune could get him out of trouble if that happened.  "The attack on Malfoy's family was not within our jurisdiction," Fudge answered.

            "Choose your words carefully, Fudge, for they could be your last," the mysterious stranger warned him.

            "There was nothing I could do," Fudge protested.  "As much as I admire Malfoy, this attack was not directed at the Ministry nor intended to reveal our world to the Muggle one.  We were unable to help."

            A soft chuckle escaped from the cloak.  "You are even more of a buffoon than I remember, Fudge," the man said.  "Congratulations."

            Fudge narrowed his eyes.  "Who are you?"

            "I will tell you when I am ready.  Now," said the man, "has Malfoy returned home at all since that most unfortunate attack, or has he remained at Hogwarts the entire time?"

            "To the best of my knowledge, he has stayed at Hogwarts," Fudge answered.

            "Perfect.  When you return to London, send an owl to Malfoy, telling him the Ministry has inspected Malfoy Manor and has determined it to be safe."

            "I will do no such thing!" Fudge said.  "I will _not_ lie to one of the Ministry's biggest supporters when his life may be in danger!"

            "You wanted to know who I am, didn't you?" the man said.  He stood and pulled off his hood.  "Meet me now."

            Fudge's heart nearly stopped beating.  He didn't recognize the face, but he knew he had heard of this man somewhere.  The question was… _where_?

            "I didn't think you'd recognize me," he said, sitting down again.  "Most people wouldn't.  After all, it's been seventeen years."  He shrugged.  "I don't think you've seen me before, anyway.  You may recall my name, though."

            Fudge was quickly getting tired of this big-talking stranger.  "Then tell me."

            A smug smile crossed his face.  "No.  I'd rather let you guess."

            Fudge stood.  "I will not let you waste another second of my time.  Good-bye."

            The man cocked his head to the right and lifted his right index finger.  "Artawny?"

            A low growl filled Fudge's ears.  The outline of a large, cat-like head could be seen in the shadows.  Fudge, not daring to breath, sat down again.  "That's better," the man said.  "Now, let's try this again.  Think… seventies.  Think… Hogwarts."

            This had to be a former Hogwarts student.  "You can't be serious.  There were far too many Hogwarts students in the seventies to keep track of, and besides, I only know of a few."

            "Oh, please," the man said, annoyance prevalent in his tone.  "Nineteen seventy-six.  A promising young prefect vanishes without a trace and is never heard from again… until now, that is."

            Fudge gasped and gripped the edges of his chair.  His fingernails were digging into the aged wood, sending slivers into his skin, but he didn't care.  "You- you're Icarus Knight!"

            Knight's smile sent shivers down Fudge's spine.  "Good job.  Now, about Malfoy.  He is a problem, a problem that must be eliminated."

            "I'll have no part of this."

            "I don't think you heard me."  Knight lifted his right index finger again, and another growl was heard from the shadows.  "Now, let's discuss what we're going to do with Malfoy.  I would hate to do the world as big a favor as making them require a new Minister of Magic to replace the old one, Cornelius Fudge, whose body was found…"


	13. Another Unexpected Twist

~~ Chapter Thirteen: Another Unexpected Twist ~~

            "… in an old castle on the banks of Loch Lomond.  The cause of death appears to be a severe mauling by an unidentified creature, possibly a werewolf.  It is unclear who will take over the position of Minister of Magic, but names on the short list include Albus Dumbledore, Meredith Longbottom, Tony Clearwater, Arthur Weasley, and Eko Chang.  Until one has been decided upon, Chang is acting as interim Minister."

            Oliver Wood set his copy of the _Daily Prophet_ down and looked at his three companions.  "Can you believe this?"

            "Tell me about it," Hermione Granger said.  "Who would try to kill Fudge?"

            "Someone didn't _try_ to kill Fudge," Ron Weasley pointed out.  "Someone _did_ kill Fudge."

            "Ron," groaned Harry Potter, rolling his green eyes, "we _know_ that."

            Ron poked his Divination book with his finger.  "Oh."

            The four Gryffindors were studying in the library – well, at any rate, studying was what they _planned_ on doing.  Then Oliver opened his newspaper and saw the headline on the front page: **Minister of Magic Found Dead in Scotland**, and studying quickly dropped back on their list of priorities.  They didn't know what to make of this event, but they knew it would reshape the wizarding world.

            "Do you think Dumbledore will become the new Minister of Magic?" asked Hermione.  "He _was offered the position before Fudge, you know, but turned it down so he could be Headmaster here."_

            "He did it before, he'll probably do it again," said Oliver.  "Fudge has been Minister for a long time, as long as Dumbledore's been Headmaster here.  All that experience erased in a few seconds won't be easily replaced, not even by Dumbledore.  My money's on Eko Chang personally, but I wouldn't be surprised if your father got it, Ron."

            "What I want to know," Ron said, "is how some creature killed Fudge in the first place."

            Three pairs of eyes stared at him.

            "Well, think about it," he continued.  "Fudge is one of the most powerful wizards in the world.  I mean, couldn't he have Apparated or something?

            "That's a good point," said Harry.

            "That _is a good point," Oliver agreed._

            "Yeah," said Hermione.

            Ron nodded.  "I thought so, too."

            "Me, too," added a voice from behind.

            The four of them turned around to see who had spoken.  Harry was the first one to match the grey-eyed, blonde-haired face to a name, and unable to control himself, he leapt up out of his chair and threw his arms around the other boy in a zealous display of joyfulness.  "Draco!" he cried, embracing his friend tightly.

            Draco winced, and Harry remembered his injuries.  "Sorry," he said, letting go and taking a step back.

            Draco smiled and rubbed his rib cage.  "Good to see you, too, Harry."

            "Welcome back, Malfoy," Oliver said, unable to hide the smile of delight on his face.  "It's good to see you alive and well."

            "Alive, anyway," Draco replied.

            Even Ron and Hermione was having trouble refraining from smiling, but more so because Harry's actions were so entertaining than because they were glad to see Draco Malfoy.  Draco spoke to them first.  "Hi Ron, Hermione."

            "Hello," the two of them replied in unison.

            Draco sat down at their table between Harry and Oliver.  To make room for their new companion, Oliver slid closer to Hermione.  She didn't seem to mind much.  "This news is going to have the whole world in a frenzy," Oliver said, getting back to Fudge's death.

            "What was he doing in Scotland, anyway?" asked Draco.

            Oliver checked the newspaper.  "'Fudge received a letter from an unknown source that prompted him to go to Scotland.  Ministry officials believe he was following a lead on…'"Here, he stopped, and stared at the page in confusion.

            "A lead on what?" asked Ron.

            Oliver collected himself and finished reading.  "'… a lead on the recent massacre at Malfoy Manor, the residence of the eminent figure Lucius Malfoy and his family.  Malfoy was away on a business trip at the time of the massacre and it is believed he is secure at the moment.  Malfoy's son, Draco, was at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and is also confirmed alive.  The current whereabouts of the two surviving Malfoys remains undisclosed for safety purposes.'"  He set the newspaper down.  "Do you think there's a connection between the attack and Fudge's death?"

            Draco shrugged.  "It's possible."

            "Should we ask Dumbledore what's going on?" inquired Oliver.

            "What are the odds that he'll tell us anything?" said Harry.

            Hermione folded her arms across her chest and frowned.  "Oh, right."

            Just then, Harry had an idea.  "Hey, Draco, what about your father?  Do you think there's any way to pull information out of him?"

            "Not unless you use a truth serum," was Draco's response.  "He doesn't like to talk about things like that.  Even if he did, you all know how good of a liar he is.  He can lie without even realizing it; he's so used to doing it that it becomes a subconscious reaction."

            "So what do we do?" Hermione asked.  "Wait and see if anything turns up?"

            Ron looked at Harry.  "I have an idea, but only as a last resort."  He leaned over and whispered his scheme into Harry's ear.

            Harry cringed and stuck out his tongue.  "No way, Ron.  That's just _wrong."_

            "I never said it would have to come to _that," Ron said._

            "I know," Harry responded, "but _still… what if…?"  He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought._

            "What's your idea, Ron?" Oliver asked.

            "No!" Ron said.  "It's a bad idea.  Forget I ever mentioned it."

            "Well, it's bound to be better than anything else we have at this point," said Hermione, and Draco and Oliver nodded their heads in agreement.  "Tell us."

            "Now you've done it," groaned Harry, and covered his face with his hands.

            Ron shifted uneasily in his chair.  "Well, who does Dumbledore trust more than anyone else at Hogwarts?"

            "Professor McGonagall," said Oliver almost immediately.

            "Right," said Ron.  "So, I was thinking that one of us could use Polyjuice Potion to change into McGonagall like Harry and I did that one time last year and find out that way.  But forget it, that's not a good idea!"

            Oliver and Hermione looked at each other, and Ron's heart sank when he saw that they were smiling.  "Ron, that's absolutely _brilliant," Hermione said.  "We'll get started on it immediately!  Now, who will go?"_

            "I think you'd make a good McGonagall, Hermione," Draco commented.

            Hermione nodded.  "Yes, I was thinking that, too.  Okay, we'll need to start stewing the lacewing flies at once, and we'll need leeches, and knotgrass, and powdered bicorn horn… hey, do any of you know when the next full moon is?"

            "Stop!" Harry cried.

            Oliver, Hermione, and Draco all shot him surprised looks, as did several other students in the immediate vicinity.  Harry's face reddened, and he lowered his voice down to a near whisper.  "There's something you guys don't know about McGonagall," he said, and he relayed to them the events he and Ron witnessed under the invisibility cloak the night Ron lost his wand.

            "Well, fancy that," Oliver said when Harry finished his story.  "Yet another unexpected twist."

"Ooooh," Hermione cooed, "that is _so sweet!"_

            "Yeah, it's sweet," said Harry, "but with that thought in mind, are you sure you still want to impersonate McGonagall?"

            Hermione's blissful expression quickly vanished and was replaced by a look that suggested she had just eaten frog brains.  "Ewwww!!!"

            Ron laughed.  "Not so cute anymore, huh?"

            "It _is," Hermione insisted.  "I just think I'll leave that job to the __real Professor McGonagall."_

            "All right, so ix-nay on the polymorphing," said Oliver.  "Where does that leave us?"

            Hermione put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.  "Right back where we started."

            Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape had agreed to take turns watching Alina Terringer as she recovered from her near-death experience.  The Musical Enchantment instructor was still unconscious, but Madam Pomfrey and the rest of the medical staff assured everyone she was recovering well.  At the moment, Snape was in his sixth-year Potions class and Lucius was sitting by Alina's bedside, once again attempting to make progress in _Tess of the d'Urbervilles._

            Reading provided little joy for him.  His mind was too busy jumping from one thought to the next to concentrate on any single task.  The event that kept coming up again and again was the death of Cornelius Fudge.  Lucius had read the _Daily Prophet that day, and although he usually kept his distance from that particular source of information, the news concerning Fudge's death worried him.  According to the __Prophet, Fudge was in Scotland investigating a lead on the massacre at Malfoy Manor.  __Why wasn't I informed?, Lucius wondered to himself.  More importantly, what killed Fudge, and was it connected to the massacre at all?_

            Lucius closed his book and set it down.  At this point, he was wondering if he would ever finish it.  Reading was one of the few things that could calm him.  If that couldn't provide tranquility for him, what would?

            "Malfoy?"

            Lucius jumped when he heard the voice of Alina Terringer.  Her eyes were halfway open and fixed on him.  "What happened?" she asked.  "Where's Draco?"

            "Draco is alive, thanks to you," Lucius replied.  "He was released this morning."

            A smile of contentment appeared on her face.  "Thank goodness for that."  She closed her eyes for a few seconds, then opened them again.  "Why am I alive?  I should be dead."

            "I don't know much about what happened, but according to Dumbledore, you fainted before all of your life force could be transferred to Draco," Lucius explained.  "Twenty-four hour medical surveillance and several batches of Severus's healing potion didn't hurt, either."

            "Where is Severus?" she asked.

            Lucius felt a twinge in his stomach.  He didn't know why, but hearing her refer to Snape by his first name made him feel uneasy.  "Right now, probably instructing the sixth-years on how to make memory potions."

            "There is something troubling you," she said.  "What is it?"

            "Nothing," he insisted, a little too quickly.

            Alina's honey-colored eyes seemed to stare straight into his soul, and he couldn't hold his composure under her gaze.  "All right!" he finally blurted out.  "Cornelius Fudge's body was found yesterday in a castle at Loch Lomond."  That wasn't a complete lie; he _was concerned about Fudge's death, but it wasn't all he was thinking about._

            A small gasp escaped her lips, and her eyes grew wide.  "What happened?"

            "According to the _Daily Prophet, he received an anonymous letter that claimed someone had information for him regarding…"  His eyes fell, and he bit his lip, unable to continue._

            "Regarding what?"

            "The massacre at Malfoy Manor."

            Alina closed her eyes and shook her head slightly.  "This is horrible," she said.  "Have they appointed a new Minister of Magic yet?"

            "Eko Chang is the interim Minister," Lucius answered.  "The other possibilities are Dumbledore, Meredith Longbottom, Tony Clearwater, and Arthur Weasley."

            Alina couldn't help noticing the contempt in his voice as he spoke Arthur Weasley's name, but she knew this was not the time or the place to bring that up.  Instead, she asked if a cause of death had been determined.

            "They don't know for certain, but right now, the popular theory is werewolf," he said in response to her question.

            "How long have I been unconscious?" she asked.

            He counted off the days in his mind.  "Three days."

            "There was a full moon exactly one week from yesterday, then," she said.  "When was Fudge killed?"

            Lucius was beginning to see where she was going with this.  "He was alive two days ago," he said.  "So that means it couldn't have been a werewolf."

            "Exactly."

            "But if it wasn't a werewolf, then what was it?"

            "You're asking the wrong person, Mr. Malfoy."

            "Sorry," he apologized.

            "Don't worry about it."

            It was a fairly neutral conversation, Lucius was surprised to discover.  In their last conversation, they even found some common ground.  Maybe he could learn to get along with this woman after all.  Everyone else, including his son, seemed to admire her, even though she was a Muggle-born.  Snape's ultimatum ran through his mind again: "If you don't make a move soon, someone else will."  Part of him wanted to, but common sense told him that idea was ludicrous.  He was a pureblood, and a Malfoy at that.  It wouldn't work.  It just wouldn't.

            Lucius rose to his feet.  "I will inform Severus that you are awake."

            Alina blinked in acknowledgement and nodded her head slightly.  "Hurry back."

            Had he not been in such a hurry to leave the room so she wouldn't notice his slightly flushed look after she spoke those words, he would have seen the warm smile that appeared on her face as she watched him go.

            "… Fudge is dead.  The Ministry has been weakened.  We are vulnerable."

            Albus Dumbledore was in a frenzy over the death of the Minister of Magic, and justifiably so, too.  Minerva McGonagall was trying her best to calm him down, but having little success.  After dinner, the two went to Dumbledore's office to discuss the incident, and he had been ranting and raving about it for almost ten minutes straight.  Minerva finally gave up on that task, though, and let the headmaster finish out his rant.

            Dumbledore sighed and sat down in a chair next to the one she was seated in.  "I don't know what to do about this, Minerva," he admitted.  "I am at my wit's end."

            Minerva wanted to say something, but none of the words that came to her mind seemed appropriate.  "We can't give up," she finally said.  "We cannot let this enemy, whoever he is, think a few hits will destroy us."

            "Fudge was investigating a lead on the Malfoy massacre," Dumbledore said.  "Whatever killed him must be connected to that incident somehow."  Unable to sit anymore, he stood up and started pacing back and forth.  "Fudge was mauled by some sort of creature.  They seem to think it's a werewolf.  A creature left claw marks on the trees and nearly shredded up Hagrid's door.  The prime suspect in that is also a werewolf.  Could the Malfoys have been attacked by a werewolf, too?"

            "The marks Hagrid found were much too big to be a werewolf," Minerva replied.

            "All right, so it's a very _large werewolf…"_

            "Albus, sit down.  You're making me dizzy."

            He didn't sit down, but he did stop his pacing.  "Maybe I'm just going crazy," he said.

            Minerva stood and walked over to him.  "You're not crazy," she assured him, taking his hand.  "Times like these would make anyone behave a little on edge."

            Dumbledore smiled at her and drew her into his arms.  "Where would I be without you, Minerva?" he asked, kissing her on the forehead.

            She didn't answer.  Minerva rested her head on his chest, and for a few moments, they were as statues, silent and motionless.  It was Dumbledore who eventually broke the silence by whispering those three words that were so simple, and yet so profound.  "I love you."

            Minerva lifted her head to kiss him on the cheek, then returned it to its previous position.  "And I love you," she replied.

            Dumbledore's mind drifted back to when he first met Minerva.  He was the Transfiguration instructor, and she was the bright young student who took to the subject like a moth to flame and quickly became his prodigy.  The two formed a friendship that was considered by some to be inappropriate between student and teacher, mostly because they were so comfortable working together and the undeniable fact that Minerva was a very attractive young woman.  She had been stunning in her youth, and even now, over seventy years old, she still retained much of her original beauty, at least in his mind.  After graduating from Hogwarts, Minerva, at his encouragement, went away to study to become an Animagus. They wrote to each other often, all the while making sure to keep their relationship at a strictly platonic level to avoid scandal.  She got a job at the Ministry of Magic, and after Dumbledore became headmaster, he could think of no one better to take over the vacant position of Transfiguration instructor than Minerva McGonagall.  Once again, they were working together.

            Then, a little over two weeks ago, it finally happened.  He wasn't quite sure how – it all happened so quickly.  They were going over what they knew about the attack at Malfoy Manor when Minerva dropped her pen and they both bent over to pick it up.  Their fingers touched, their eyes locked, and before he knew it, he was kissing her.  Even now, neither one was sure how it happened.  It just… did.

            Dumbledore was old, over a hundred and fifty years, and he didn't know how much longer he would be around.  If only he had confessed his love for her years ago!  They would have been able to spend much more time together.  But there was no use dwelling on the past.  The future was all that mattered, and he knew what he had to do.

            "Minerva," he whispered, "I don't know how much time I have left in this world, but I do know that if I can spend it with you, my life will be complete."  He held her at an arm's length and looked deep into her dark eyes.  "Will you marry me?"

            In her heart, Minerva had entertained thoughts of this moment, but she never seriously thought it would happen.  All she wanted to do was cry out, "Yes", but the power of speech had left her.  Finally, she gave up on a verbal response and kissed him.

            "Is that a yes?" Dumbledore asked when the kiss ended.

            She laughed and kissed him again.  "Yes, with all my heart, yes!"

A/N: Yes, I threw in some more OC's in this part… I needed some random high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic, and couldn't locate any in my sources.  I tried to connect each of the three I made up to a student at Hogwarts.  Meredith Longbottom is now Neville Longbottom's grandmother, Tony Clearwater is now Penelope Clearwater's uncle, and Eko (pronounced "echo", like the bouncing back of sound waves) Chang is now Cho Chang's father.  (Hopefully you already know who Albus Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley are, ha ha)  Fun stuff.

Some more quick notes to reviewers –

Aeryn Alexander – Thanks for all your reviews.  And no, it wasn't wolves _or werewolves… it was something else… *mad giggling*  Hopefully these two chapters cleared up some of the Snape/Alina thing._

VoyICJ – Good news!  Both Draco and Alina are awake!  Yay!  Hee hee… yes, lots of new questions, and even more on the way…  And don't worry, there will be lots of AD/MM in the future.  Originally, they weren't going to be as developped as they are, but they're so much fun to write that I just had to go into detail.  ^_^

Auri – Yes, I am very evil.  *bows*  And yes, it will get much darker… the darkness is already starting to surface in this chapter, what with Fudge's death and all.  I don't know if it'll get really dark anytime soon, though… there are a few romances I want to develop first.  *laughs*

Jerrica – Yes, I _did have you in mind when I wrote Oliver.  ^_^  I think you two have a lot in common, ha ha._


	14. A Secret No More

A/N: Yep, another update already.  Nobody wanted to party with me *laughs*, so I wrote another chapter just hours after posting 12 and 13.  Go me.  ^_^

~~ Chapter Fourteen: A Secret No More ~~

            As students and staff gathered in the Great Hall for dinner the next day, Hermione Granger's eyes scanned the Gryffindor table for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, or Oliver Wood.  She spotted Oliver at almost the same time he spotted her, and he waved her over.  The handsome seventh-year smiled warmly at her as she sat down next to him.  "Hi," he said.  "How was your day?"

            "Pretty normal," she said, smiling back at him.  "Yours?"

            "Interesting," he replied.  "Penelope accidentally turned Percy into a Bludger in Transfiguration today, and Professor McGonagall had to change him back.  We've been calling him Bludger-Boy ever since, and Fred and George try to hit him every time they see him."

            Hermione laughed.  "Poor Percy!  How did he get turned into a Bludger?"

            Oliver shrugged.  "I don't know, but it was funny.  Even McGonagall was smiling."

            "Really?" said Hermione.  "I would think something like that would make her mad."

            "Oh, that's nothing.  She said that when Professor Lupin was a student, he once turned James Potter into a quail, and they couldn't change him back for _days."_

            The two Gryffindors laughed, and Oliver spoke again.  "Anyway, I don't think anything could have dampened McGonagall's mood today.  I've never seen her so happy."

            "I noticed that, too," Hermione said.  "We only got half the normal amount of homework today.  I wonder what's going on?"

            "It's anyone's guess," Oliver said with a shake of his head.

            "Hi, you two," said Harry Potter, sitting down across from them.  "Hey, Hermione, did Oliver tell you what happened in the seventh-year Transfiguration class?"

            Hermione grinned.  "Yes.  Where's Percy?"

            "Hiding from Fred and George, I think," Harry replied, and he laughed.  "They're calling him 'Bludger-Boy' and wacking him on the head."

            "Oh, it's the head now, is it?" Oliver asked.  "Earlier it was just the back."  He glanced around the room.  "Where's Ron?"

            "There he is," said Hermione, pointing to the entrance to the Great Hall.  "And is that… Malfoy?"

            Indeed it was.  Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy entered the large room together and appeared to be deep in discussion.  On top of that, there was no indication of hostility – it was just a typical casual conversation.  After a moment, the boys went to their separate tables, and waved to each other as they did so.  Ron spotted his friends and sat down next to Harry.  He soon noticed that the other three were staring at him, and when he did, blurted out, "What?"

            "You were talking to Draco," Harry observed.

            "Yes, I was," Ron confirmed.  "Is that a crime?"

            "I always thought it _was, in your family anyway," Hermione said.  "Why the sudden change of heart?"_

            "We were just trying to come up with reasons why McGonagall's acting so weird," Ron said, "and frankly, we're scared.  She's scary enough when she's normal, but when she's happy…"  His eyes grew wide as a new thought entered his head.  "You don't think Dumbledore used a love potion on her, do you?"

            "Not so loud!" Harry said.  "This is still a big secret, remember?  And I don't think there were any love potions involved.  Besides, they're not allowed at Hogwarts."

            "Neither is reading books in the Restricted section, but we do that, anyway," Ron said.  Then he covered his mouth as he realized that probably wasn't the best thing to say.

            Oliver arched an eyebrow.  "You never cease to amaze me, Weasley."

            "You're so unromantic, Ron," Hermione commented.  "I think Dumbledore and McGonagall make a lovely couple."

            "Then _you can put on the invisibility cloak and follow them around," Ron replied._

            Harry smiled.  "Sorry, Ron, she's right.  You're just unromantic."

            Suddenly, Percy Weasley sat down next to Harry and attempted to hide behind him.  "Hide me," he said.

            "Why?" Harry asked.

            Hermione looked up, and saw Fred and George Weasley enter the Great Hall.  "That's why," she concluded.

            Percy nodded and covered his eyes.

            "Where are you, Bludger-Boy?" called Fred.

            "Yoo hoo!" said George.  "Perfect Percy!  Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

            Oliver laughed.  "Getting picked on by your little brothers, Percy?"

            Percy glared at Oliver.  "Shut up, Wood."

            Percy was saved from being pummeled by Fred and George by the distinct ring of Minerva McGonagall tapping on her glass to get everyone's attention.  The Great Hall fell silent, and Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet.  "We have several announcements," he said.  "First of all, I would like to welcome back Draco Malfoy and Professor Terringer, who were released from the hospital wing yesterday and this morning, respectively, after suffering severe injuries that nearly cost them their lives."

            A round of applause went through the Great Hall.  When it died down, Dumbledore continued.  "Second, the Musical Enchantment study group will be meeting after dinner tonight.  Thirdly, as you all probably know by now, the Minister of Magic was killed three days ago.  Tomorrow I will be traveling to London to help the Ministry sort out this mess and aid in the appointment of a new Minister.  I shouldn't be gone more than a few days.  During my absence, Professor McGonagall will act as head.  Fourth, we have reason to believe a very dangerous creature, possibly a werewolf, is lurking around the edges of the Dark Forest.  No student is to leave the castle for any reason unless escorted by a faculty member."

            The students looked at each other, and a murmur ran through their numbers.  They quickly quieted down, though, and let Dumbledore finish.  "Finally, it is my honor to announce to you all…"  He gave his hand to Professor McGonagall, and she rose and stood beside him.  "… that Professor McGonagall and I are to be married."

            With those words, the entire school was struck speechless.  Harry was the first one to break the silence by starting to clap.  Hermione began clapping, too, and Oliver and Ron weren't far behind.  Over at the Slytherin table, Draco was applauding as well.  Within seconds, the entire school was cheering, and their ovation was so deafening that threatened to make the roof crumble.  Dumbledore and McGonagall hugged each other, and the cheers grew even louder.  Then, one of the teachers stood – Severus Snape.  Alina Terringer was the next faculty member to stand.  The rest of Hogwarts followed Snape's example as well, and the lovebirds were given a standing ovation.

            Oliver and Hermione looked at each other, and impulsively, they hugged.  They didn't even realize what they were doing until Ron started to chuckle.  The two of them blushed and quickly put some distance between themselves.  Ron had something else to chuckle about, though, when Penelope Clearwater threw her arms around Percy and kissed him.  Percy didn't seem to mind.  Apparently, he had forgiven her for turning him into a Bludger.

            "Come on, Ron," Harry said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder.  "Share the love."

            Suddenly, Ron remembered something.  "Hey, Harry, you remember how when we made that bet, I specifically said _secretly in love?  Now that they've gone public, couldn't the bet be declared null and void?"_

            Harry laughed.  "Sorry, Ron, I'm still going to make you become friends with Draco."

            Albus Dumbledore was escorting Minerva McGonagall to her office after dinner when he spotted Lucius Malfoy walking toward them.  "Mr. Malfoy!" he called, and Lucius stopped walking.  "May I have a minute of your time?"

            "Of course," Lucius replied in a voice that was neither welcoming nor unkind.  "Congratulations, by the way."  That comment had a noticeably friendlier tone.  "I wish you both well."

            The couple smiled, and Minerva spoke for both of them.  "Thank you."

            "Did you need me for something?" Lucius asked.

            "Only some information," Dumbledore said, remembering why he stopped Malfoy in the first place.  "If you don't want to discuss it, I understand, and I won't make you."  He paused, and Lucius nodded in acknowledgement.  Dumbledore continued.  "When you returned to Malfoy Manor and found everyone dead, you said all the bodies had a distinct pattern of four parallel slash marks.  Can you describe these marks in detail?"

            Lucius closed his eyes for a moment, then spoke.  "The four parallel slash marks… yes, there were four.  They were very deep.  A few of the smaller house-elves were sliced completely in half."

            "How far apart were the marks?" Dumbledore asked.

            Lucius paused to think before answering.  "Two inches.  I'm sure of it."

            Dumbledore nodded.  "Thank you.  Thank you very much."

            Lucius bade them farewell and continued on his way.  As soon as he was out of earshot, Minerva looked her fiancé in the eyes.  "Albus," she said, "there _has to be a connection.  There just has to be!"_

            "If there is," he replied, "I'll find out."

            "Be careful."

            He smiled and kissed her.  "I will."

            "I'm so glad you could come on such short notice, Professor Dumbledore," Eko Chang said when Albus Dumbledore walked into the Ministry of Magic's main administration building early the next afternoon.  "People are questioning the Ministry's ability to function under these circumstances.  Hopefully your presence will calm things down."

            "Thank you, my friend," Dumbledore replied.  "I will do my best to aid in the attempt to restore order."

            A former Ravenclaw, Eko Chang was an outgoing, determined man in his mid-forties.  He had the dark, almond-shaped eyes distinct to his Asian heritage, and the beginnings of grey in his hair around his ears was the only thing that betrayed his age.  He was a widower; his wife, Saki, had been a great beauty, and their daughter Cho resembled her mother perfectly.  Saki's death six years earlier had been hard on the family, but both Eko and Cho were strong and found it in them to move on.  Chang was a key figure within the Ministry's administrative staff, and it made sense for him to act as interim Minister and possibly take on the position himself.

            "Is everything all right at Hogwarts?" Chang asked as the two of them walked toward the Minister's office.

            Dumbledore nodded.  "Yes.  Professor McGonagall has taken over in my absence."

            "Ah, yes, Minerva McGonagall," Chang said with a nod.  "You two recently became engaged, did you not?"

            "Oh, so you already found out?"

            "Yes.  I received an owl from Cho this morning."

            Dumbledore didn't know why he forgot that his daughter was a student at Hogwarts.  "Well, that makes sense.  Thank you."

            The two then went into a discussion about affairs of state, and Fudge's name was brought up.  "That reminds me," Dumbledore said when the late Minister was mentioned, "was a cause of death ever determined?"

            "Mauling," Chang answered.

            "Yes, but by what?"

            Chang shook his head.  "I don't know."

            "Did you see the body?"

            "I did," Chang confirmed with a nod.  "It was so ripped up that I almost didn't know it was him.  Everyone thinks it's a werewolf that did it.  I'm no expert, but to me, the marks looked too big to be a werewolf."

            A knot of dread rose in Dumbledore's stomach.  "Describe the marks to me."

            "Upon close examination, I noticed a distinct pattern.  The pattern is four parallel slash marks, very deep, and about two inches apart."

A/N: Some of you are probably wondering why big, macho, seventh-year Oliver Wood is hanging out with our third-year motley crew.  He's doing this because he and Harry are Quidditch buddies, he and Draco are music buddies, he and Ron are just buddies, and he does have sort of a crush on Hermione.  ^_^  But anyway…  Well, Dumbledore and McGonagall have gone public with their romance and the strange-creature mystery is one step closer to being solved.  *points to readers*  Have YOU figured out what it is yet?

In other news, I've noticed that Lucius Malfoy has all but been bumped back to minor-character status… that is bad, especially considering this story is supposed to be mostly about him…  Bear with me, though… I'm getting there, I promise!


	15. A Terrible Tragedy

More quick notes to reviewers before we begin this most tragic of chapters…

VoyICJ – Nope, no parties for Freelancer, so she stays up very late turning random thoughts into random words… ^_^  Glad you're enjoying this story… I'm certainly having a lot of fun writing it!  *laughs*

Galileo – Thanks.  I was wondering what kind of reaction the 12 to 13 transition would get.  ^_^  And yes, I will let you know what this mysterious creature is… very soon, actually…

Chocchip – *soaks up kind review*  Thank you!  And I will most DEFINITELY not give up on Dumbledore and McGonagall… bwa ha ha ha ha…

Aeryn Alexander – Hee hee… you're not the first person that's complimented me on character names, so I'm going to be walking around with a big goofy grin on my face for the next few days… *bangs head against the wall in attempt to shrink it back to normal size*  And no, Icarus Knight is not an Animagus.  Hang tight, though – the creature mystery will be solved soon.

~~ Chapter Fifteen: A Terrible Tragedy ~~

            Dumbledore had been gone for three days, and despite receiving at least two owls a day from him, Minerva McGonagall couldn't help but worry.  She was the kind of person who liked to be in control of the situation, and right now, that was the last thing they were.  If their mysterious foe could slay the Minister of Magic, how easy would it be for them to place other strategic blows?  Was anywhere safe?

            As the day drew to a close, McGonagall started to write yet another letter to the Ministry of Magic expressing her concern, but that task was halted when a loud bang on the door to her office caused her to look up in surprise.  There was another bang, and the door fell over.  Standing in the doorway with a slightly embarrassed look on his face was Rubeus Hagrid.  Behind him was a teary-eyed Penelope Clearwater.  Minerva rose to her feet and walked over to them.  "What's going on?" she asked.  "Penelope, what's wrong?"

            "We can't find Su Li anywhere," Penelope said, fighting to keep composure.  "The Ravenclaw girls were supposed to have a meeting an hour ago, and she wasn't there.  We've been looking for her ever since, and we can't find her!"

            Fear seized the heart of the deputy headmistress, but she couldn't let it show in front of a student.  "She must be found," Minerva said.  "We'll get the entire school looking.  Don't worry about the door right now, Hagrid."

            Hagrid had bent over with the intention to pick up the door and replace it, but he stopped at her request.  "Come," Minerva said to her two companions.  "We've not a minute to lose.  She could be in danger."

            Half an hour of searching commenced.  Not even the combined efforts of all the students and staff combing every square inch of the castle could locate the missing girl.  Finally, Hagrid, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape took a group of seventh-years into the Dark Forest to search there.  The odds that Su was in there were slim to none, but it was the only place that hadn't been searched thus far.  Hopefully, they would find what they expected to: nothing.

            "I don't understand," Oliver Wood whispered to Percy Weasley as the group of three teachers and five students picked their way along the mist-covered forest floor.  "Why would Su have gone out here?  It's forbidden even when Dumbledore _is here."_

            "We have to make sure," Percy whispered back.  "We have to find her."

            The snapping of a twig was heard, and Hagrid, in the lead, brought the group to a halt.  Lupin and Snape immediately had their wands out.  "Who's there?" called Percy.

            A soft moan was heard.  "That has to be Su," said Percy, and holding his lantern up high, he started running in the direction of the sound.  The others were close behind.

            It was, indeed, the missing girl.  She was laying in a bed of moss, barely clinging to life.  Four long, deep parallel gashes two inches apart ran across her chest, and with every labored breath, a few more drops of blood leaked from the wounds.  Her hair was matted with dirt and blood and lay in clumps around her pale face.  Her half-open eyes saw the approaching people, and a surge of hope rose from their depths.  She tried to speak, but her words were unable to make sense.

            Percy dropped to his knees beside Su and attempted to lift up her head.  Snape advised him against doing so, and knelt down on her other side.  Percy whispered words of encouragement to the girl as Snape pulled out a small vial of liquid and began pouring it over the gashes.  "You're going to be all right," the Head Boy assured her.  "Just stay with us."

            Su tried to speak again, and this time, several words could be discerned.  "Bella ran away," she said.  "Had to… find her…"

            Bella was Su's cat.  Percy looked around for any sign of the feline, and when he saw it, he wished he hadn't.  The shredded-up ball of fur and blood he mistook for a pile of sticks at first was the runaway cat.  Percy cringed and decided not to inform the girl that her cat had been turned into mincemeat.

            Suddenly, Su's body went limp.  Snape swore and clenched the vial so tightly it broke.  He shook the fragments of glass and drops of liquid from his hands, then stood up.  Lupin uneasily took a step closer to the Potions Master.  "Severus?" he said.

            Snape closed his eyes and shook his head.  "She's dead."

            The entire school was waiting for them when they returned from the forest.  Snape and Lupin were in the lead, followed by the five students.  Hagrid brought up the rear.  Minerva McGonagall broke from the masses and met them halfway.  "Did you find anything?" she asked.  "Anything at all?"

            Snape's voice was heavy as he spoke a response.  "Everything."

            Snape, Lupin, and the five students moved aside as Hagrid walked up to the deputy headmistress.  In his arms, he carried the body of Su Li.  "There was nothing we could do for her," Hagrid said.  "She's gone."

            As soon as Minerva's cry of agony reached the ears of the Hogwarts students, they knew a tragedy had struck.  Minerva herself was almost unable to stand under the weight of the pain, and her knees buckled.  Lupin saw her losing balance and rushed to her aid.  The Transfiguration instructor threw her arms around her friend and wept bitterly.  Even the usually impassive Severus Snape had tears in his eyes.  It was a tragedy that Hogwarts would never forget.

            "Let me help you."

            "I can get it."

            "Severus, please."  Alina Terringer set down the cloth soaked in wound-cleaning solution and took Snape's uninjured left hand in both of hers.  "You can't let it go untreated.  If you don't want me to do it, I'll get someone from medical."

            "Don't bother," Snape said, unable to look her in the eyes.

            After bringing the body of Su Li back to Hogwarts, Snape retreated to his chambers.  A fire was burning in the fireplace, and he was sitting in a chair a few feet away.  Next to him, holding a medical kit, knelt Alina, trying to persuade him to let her clean the numerous cuts in his hand that were sustained when he broke the glass vial in his fist.

            "There wasn't anything you could have done."

            "You're right, there wasn't.  But that doesn't change the fact that a student is dead."

            "Nor does it change the fact that if you expect to be able to utilize your right hand in the future, you need to let me help you."

            Snape did not respond verbally, but gave her his right hand.  With a pair of tweezers, she set to the task of removing the small fragments of glass still embedded in his skin.  "How bad is it?" he finally asked.

            "Not too bad," she replied.  "What did you have in that vial, some sort of healing solution?"

            He nodded.

            She could tell; the edges of the cuts were already starting to heal.  She had to work fast to remove all the glass before the skin closed around it, though.  "When I was little, my mother would always tell me that she could make a wound heal by kissing it," she said.  "I never believed her.  Healing seemed so much more complicated than that.  Then I became a witch and discovered that there's a potion that can make bones grow overnight."

            "Yes, and pray you never have to use it.  It's terribly painful."

            Alina could see no more glass, so she set down the tweezers and picked up the cloth.  "This might sting a bit," she warned, and pressed the cloth to the cuts.  A soft hissing was heard as the medicine made contact with flesh.  Snape didn't even blink.  "You have a very high tolerance for pain," she commented.

            "No, I'm just a masochist."

            Alina stopped rubbing the cloth over his skin and looked at him.  "You're not serious, are you?"

            "Of course not."

            Despite everything, a small smile worked its way onto her face.  "You're a cynic, that's what you are."

            "So I've been told."

            Alina set the cloth down and reached for a piece of gauze.  She wrapped it around his hand several times, then secured the ends with a bit of medical tape.  "What's going to happen to the school?" she asked.

            He shook his head.  "I don't know.  Professor McGonagall has already left for London to alert Dumbledore to the situation.  They should be back by tomorrow morning.  We won't know until then."

            Lucius Malfoy was walking past Snape's chambers on the way to the Slytherin tower to check on his son when he heard voices coming from the interior.  The door was slightly ajar, and he wondered if his friend was in there.  He glanced inside, and in the light of a blazing fire, he could discern two figures.  One of them was Severus Snape.  His heart sank as he realized who the other was – Alina Terringer.

            Lucius began walking again, as fast as he could without being heard.  Confusion swam through his heart.  Snape and Alina were in there, alone, and holding hands.  He couldn't understand why that image bothered him so much, but it did.  He remembered Snape telling him that he and Alina were only friends.  "She's in love with _you, Lucius," he had said.  He didn't believe it, of course, but still… what if?  What if it was true?_

            _It's better this way, Lucius told himself.  __You're a pureblood.  She's a Muggle-born.  It would never work.  It's not right.  Besides, she's in love with Severus, not you.  This arrangement will make everyone happy._

_            Lucius sighed and pressed his hand to his forehead.  __Who am I kidding?  Congrats, Lucius.  You blew it._

            Eko Chang and Albus Dumbledore were finishing up another late night of political affairs when the door to the Minister of Magic's office flew open.  The interim Minister and the headmaster of Hogwarts looked up in surprise to see who would come in so unexpectedly.  Their shock was made greater when they saw who it was.

            "Minerva?" Dumbledore said in disbelief.  "What are you doing here?"

            "Albus, you have to return to Hogwarts immediately," she said.  "There's been a terrible tragedy."

            "… and it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Hogwarts will be closed until this danger has passed."

            The Great Hall was so quiet after Dumbledore's announcement that one could hear the heartbeat of someone standing across the room.  The headmaster paused for a moment to let his words sink in, then continued.  "In a few moments, you will all be excused to pack.  School is suspended until we can be sure our students and faculty will be safe here.  You are dismissed."

            "Can you believe this?" Ron Weasley asked Harry Potter as the two boys packed their suitcases.  "What if they never figure out what it is?  What if Hogwarts is closed forever?"

            "Don't say things like that, Ron," Harry replied.  "They'll find what killed Su, get rid of it, and we'll be back in a week."

            "I hope so, for your sake," Ron said.  "I wish you didn't have to spend another minute with those awful Dursleys."

            "I may not have to.  Draco spoke to his father, and if it's all right with my aunt and uncle, I can stay with them until school opens again."

            Ron blinked twice, then stared at Harry.  "Hmm… Dursleys or Malfoys?  I can't decide which one's worse."

            "Oh, shut up, Ron."  He paused.  "How's Percy doing?"

            "Percy's been better," Ron admitted.  Both Percy and Penelope had taken Su's death very hard.  "He's going to stay with Penelope's family for a few days, and then the two of them are planning to visit Mr. and Mrs. Li before coming to our house.  You could come stay with us, you know."

            "It would probably get crowded, with your family _and Penelope," Harry pointed out.  "I would hate to intrude any further."_

            "My father wouldn't mind, especially as an alternative to you staying with… _them."_

            "You know, Ron, now that I think about it, I don't think the Malfoys are really 'evil' at all," Harry said.  "Just… misunderstood, you know, the product of how they were raised.  And I know, they've done evil things, especially Lucius, but that's changed.  They're different now."

            Ron sighed.  "Whatever you say.  Just be sure I get an owl from you every day so I know you're still alive."

            A small grin appeared on Harry's face.  "Sure thing."

            All the students had left, and most of the faculty as well.  The ones that still remained were Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Severus Snape, and Remus Lupin.  These five were preparing to leave, but before they did, Dumbledore wanted one more look at the mysterious marks their mysterious creature left in its wake.

            "It's not a werewolf," Lupin assured Dumbledore as the headmaster ran his fingers over the four parallel slash marks on the trunk of a tree.  "Trust me.  It's not a werewolf."

            "I believe you," Dumbledore said, stepping away from the tree.  Lupin, of all people, would know if something was or wasn't the mark of a werewolf.  "But if it's not a werewolf, what is it?"

            Nobody had an answer.

            Suddenly, McGonagall stepped forward.  "I have an idea," she said.  "Hagrid, may I see some bark?"

            Hagrid peeled off a piece of bark and handed it to her.  "Don't follow you, Professor McGonagall, but here you go."

            She set the bark on the ground and transformed into her Animagus form.  The cat that was Minerva found the bark, extended her claws, and left a visible scratch mark on the wood.  She then changed back into a human and handed the piece of bark to Hagrid.  "Would you be so kind as to hold this up to the tree?" she asked.

            Hagrid performed what was asked of him.  "Where are you going with this, Professor?" he asked.

            "Notice the pattern of marks I left," she said, pointing at the piece of bark.  "Then look at the pattern of marks the creature left."

            "I think I see it," Snape said.  "The creature's mark is four parallel lines.  The mark you left is also four parallel lines."

            "So it's a cat," Lupin concluded.

            "Well, in theory, yes," McGonagall replied.  "The marks our creature left are much bigger, of course, but the point is that they are proportional."

            "So it's a very _large cat," said Lupin._

            For a few seconds, they were completely silent and motionless as they pondered the facts.  Then, it hit them with the force of a thousand bricks, and the truth was as clear as day.  In unison, five voices spoke one word:

            "Nundu."


	16. When Dursley met Malfoy

A/N: I didn't make up the Nundu.  For those of you who were wondering about it, here's the description that I got from the Harry Potter Lexicon (http://www.i2k.com/~svderark/lexicon/index-2-text.html): "The Nundu is considered by many to be the most dangerous beast in existence. It is a gigantic leopard, native to East Africa, whose breath carries disease and death. Whole villages have been wiped out by the Nundu."  (excellent site, by the way – I have yet to find a better resource for the research I have to do for this story)  Hopefully that helps.  (Oh, quick note to Iris Shinra and anyone else who was wondering – Su Li, the girl killed by the Nundu in the last chapter, is a Ravenclaw in Harry's year.  I haven't made up any students in this story.)

~~ Chapter Sixteen: When Dursley met Malfoy ~~

            Few voices were heard on the train as it carried students away from Hogwarts.  There was nothing that could be said.  Every time a conversation was attempted, it would always end with someone mentioning that a student was dead and Hogwarts was closed because of it.  No one knew when, or if they would return.

            To Harry Potter's right sat Ron Weasley, to his left, Draco Malfoy.  In the seat facing them were Hermione Granger and Oliver Wood.  Under normal circumstances, the five of them would be chatting ceaselessly.  These, however, were not normal circumstances, and they were silent.  Across the aisle were Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater.  Penelope, with her head resting on Percy's shoulder, was shaking with grief.  Percy was no longer shedding tears, but there were stains on his face from when he was.  The Ravenclaw prefect and the Head Boy were devastated over the incident, and it would be some time before they would realize the guilt lay not in them.

            Finally, Ron could bear the silence no longer, and he spoke.  "Are you going back to Malfoy Manor, Draco?" he asked.

            Draco was surprised that Ron was speaking to him, but he managed to push it aside and give a reply.  "No.  My father doesn't think it's safe.  We'll be staying in our summer home near Cardiff.  Are you going home?"

            Ron nodded.  "Yeah.  What about you, Oliver, Hermione?"

            "Same," Oliver replied.

            "Me, too," Hermione said.  "I'm so sorry you have to go stay with the Dursleys, Harry.  They really give Muggles a bad name.  My parents are Muggles, and they're _nothing like the Dursleys."_

            "I may not have to," Harry said.  "The Malfoys offered to take me in."

            Hermione looked a little surprised, but she managed to hold in the rude comeback that was swimming around in her mind.  "That's very nice of you, Draco," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

            Oliver nodded in agreement.  "Yes, it is."

            "Hopefully, we can get the Dursleys to agree," Draco said.

            Harry almost smiled.  "Knowing your father, that shouldn't be a problem."

            Harry led Draco and Lucius Malfoy up the walkway to the door of 4 Privet Drive, the residence of Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley, the only living relations Harry had.  He lifted his hand to knock on the door, but then stopped and looked at the Malfoys.  "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.  "I really wouldn't want to make your opinions of Muggles any more negative than they already are.  Most of them aren't bad at all, but you wouldn't think so from the Dursleys."

            Lucius nodded.  "If that is so, then all the more reason for us to get you away from them."

            Harry never thought he'd see the day when Lucius Malfoy would show him kindness.  He knocked on the door.  A few seconds later, the pounding of footsteps could be heard, and the door flew open.  Standing in the doorway was the chubby body of Dudley Dursley.  A grimace appeared on his round face.  "Mum!  Dad!" he cried.  "It's Harry!"

            Vernon and Petunia Dursley were soon at their son's side.  "Good heavens, boy!" Mr. Dursley cried.  "What are you doing back already?  We just got rid of you a month and a half ago!"

            "They closed the school temporarily, Uncle Vernon," Harry explained.  "A student was killed."

            "Well, it serves them right," Mrs. Dursley said with an indignant upturning of her nose.  "That's what happens when you study magic instead of behaving like a _normal person."  She then noticed the handsome, refined man standing behind Harry and a younger version of him who looked to be about Harry's age.  "Who are __you?" she gasped._

            Lucius was a little surprised.  He wasn't used to people not knowing who he was.  "My name is Lucius Malfoy," he said, "and this is my son, Draco.  Harry is a good friend of his." 

            "Harry doesn't _have any friends," Dudley spat._

            "You'd be surprised," Draco retorted.

            "I have a summer home outside of Cardiff," Lucius continued.  "Draco and I will be staying there until Hogwarts reopens.  We would like Harry to stay with us."

            "Absolutely not!" Mr. Dursley cried.  "We have no idea who you are!  For all we know, you could be one of those… those _magic freaks."_

            "I assure you that I am not a freak," Lucius replied.

            "We will have none of this," Mrs. Dursley said.  "That… _place closing is the best news I have heard all day!"  She narrowed her eyes at Harry, then cast Draco the same disapproving, suspicious look.  "It's a pity the student killed wasn't one of you two."_

            Lucius was about to do something he would have later regretted, but he was saved by the sound of a female voice calling out, "There you are!"  He turned around to see who it was, and his heart nearly stopped beating as he recognized the approaching woman.  _It can't be, he thought.  But it was._

Alina Terringer.

            "What's keeping you?" Alina asked, walking up to Lucius and taking his arm.  "The cab driver is getting impatient.  I had to slip him a twenty to keep him waiting."

            "What are you doing here?" Lucius hissed under his breath.

            Alina lifted her head up and whispered into his ear.  "Severus told me what you were planning to do," she explained in a tone that was not particularly kind.  "No offense, but I think I can deal with Muggles better than you can.  Just trust me."  She then kissed him on the cheek and then faced the Dursleys with a large, friendly smile on her face.  "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Dursley," she said.

            "And you must be Mrs. Malfoy," Mrs. Dursley said patronizingly.

            "I prefer Lady Malfoy, if you don't mind," Alina responded.  "Sir Lucius here doesn't like to brag about his knighthood, so he probably didn't tell you."

            "What is she doing here?" Harry whispered to Draco.

            "Beats me," Draco whispered back.

            Mr. Dursley's mouth dropped open.  "_Sir Lucius?" he repeated._

            "Oh, you can't possibly expect me to believe you've never heard of Sir Lucius Malfoy," Alina said.  "The Malfoys are among the oldest and most influential patrician families in the country."  She looked at Lucius and smiled.  "Isn't that right, darling?"

            Dudley looked at his mother.  "Mum, is Harry friends with _nobility?"_

            Instantly, the attitude of the Dursleys toward their visitors changed.  Mrs. Dursley stammered to find words, and finally came up with, "Won't you come in, please?"

            Alina smiled sweetly at them.  "Why, thank you."  She and Lucius followed the Dursleys inside.  Harry and Draco exchanged looks of disbelief, then went inside themselves.

            Mrs. Dursley led them into the living room and invited them to sit down.  Alina thanked her, and she and Lucius sat down on the couch.  Harry and Draco leaned up against the wall.  "This is kind of funny," Draco whispered.

            "This is _hilarious," Harry returned._

            "C-can we get you anything to drink?" Mr. Dursley asked, opening the refrigerator.  "I think we have some sherry in here somewhere…"

            Alina's bemused smile returned.  "No, thank you.  We only drink amontillado on Tuesdays."

            "You're scaring me, Terringer," Lucius whispered to Alina.

            "Just play along," Alina replied.  "Pretend for the next ten minutes that you're madly in love with me.  Smile, flirt, _anything."  She turned her attention back to the Dursleys.  "It was just horrible when that student was murdered," she said.  "Everyone is terribly frightened.  There's a serial killer on the loose, you know.  I'd lock your doors and keep a gun under your bed if I were you.  The headmaster didn't want to endanger the lives of any more students, so he closed the school at once, and it will remain closed until this madman is caught.  The killer might try to come after other Hogwarts students, and I would hate to endanger the life of your adorable son."_

            Lucius was starting to get into the act himself.  He pasted on a smile and looked at Alina.  "That's one of the many things I love about you, darling," he cooed.  "You're always thinking ahead."

            Alina giggled.  "Oh, Lucius, you're so sweet."

            Lucius looked at the Dursleys.  "Our home in Cardiff is much more well-protected than yours.  Harry will be safe there, and with him there, you wonderful people won't be in any danger."

            "Oh, we're going to Cardiff?" Alina asked.  "I thought we were going to our residence on the French Riviera."

            "We stayed there last summer, remember?" Lucius replied.  "Or was it the one in Tahiti?"

            "It was Tahiti, dear."

            Lucius snapped his fingers, as if remembering something.  "Then we stayed on the Riviera over Christmas."

            "That's right, we did," Alina said.  "I couldn't remember if we stayed there or at the one in Switzerland."

            "This is _really funny," Draco whispered to Harry._

            Harry just nodded.  He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would start laughing and blow their cover.

            "But anyway, Cardiff," Alina said.  "Yes, Cardiff will do.  It's smaller than the Riviera – only forty acres instead of sixty – but it _will do."  She looked at Harry.  "Harry, dear, are you all packed?"_

            "Yes, P- Lady Malfoy," Harry said, almost forgetting Alina's pseudonym.

            "Excellent," Alina said.  "I'll have the cab driver load your bags immediately."  She then looked at the Dursleys with a slightly embarrassed look on her face, as if she had forgotten about them and then remembered.  "It _is all right if he stays with us, right?"_

            "Of c-course it is, L-lady M-m-malfoy," Mrs. Dursley stammered, who was blown away by the thought that Harry was friends with nobility.

            Alina smiled triumphantly.  "Oh, thank you, thank you.  Don't worry, we'll take good care of him."

            Lucius stood up.  "Well, then, if that's settled, we must be off."  He gave Alina his hand and helped her to her feet.  "Come, darling.  Harry, Draco, are you ready?"

            "Yes, Father," said Draco.

            "Yes, Sir Lucius," said Harry.

            Lucius nodded.  "Then come along.  We've still got a ways to travel."  He looked at the Dursleys.  "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley."

            "Take care, dears," Alina added.

            Harry and Draco just waved.  Neither one of the boys thought they would be able to say anything without laughing.

            "That was _amazing, Professor," Draco commented when they were a safe distance away.  "How did you know we were coming?"_

            "Professor Snape told me," Alina answered.  "When I heard that you were going to be dealing with Muggles, especially Muggles like this, I thought my experience in handling them would be of service."

            "How did you do that?" Lucius asked.  "They completely believed you."

            "Oh, it's easy," Alina said.  "Just make them believe that you're rich and powerful and you'll have them eating out of the palm of your hand.  Of course, you're already rich and powerful, but not in any way that you could have told them."  Then she winked.  "Besides, it's not like you didn't already look the part."

            "You were very good," Lucius said, still in a daze from the success of the undertaking.  "I never realized you were such a fast thinker."

            "You weren't so bad yourself," Alina replied.  "The Tahiti thing was a very nice touch."

            "You had them right after 'Lady Malfoy'," Harry commented.  "They really didn't know what hit them."

            "I personally thought the 'amontillado on Tuesdays' thing was the best of all," Lucius said.  "Do you think they even realized that today is Thursday?"

            Alina smiled and shook her head.  "I don't think so."

            "Where are you going, Professor Terringer?" Harry asked.

            "I don't know yet," she answered.  "I was asked to speak about my field at a school in Switzerland, and I may go there until Hogwarts opens again."

            "Why don't you stay with us for a while?" Draco offered.  "There's more than enough room, and you could help Harry and I with our studies."  He looked at his father.  "Would that be all right?"

            Lucius hesitated before answering.  Considering his history with Professor Terringer, he didn't know how he would feel sharing a house with her.  But on the other hand, it would certainly help the boys gain an edge in their learning, and offering would be the right thing to do.  He almost laughed at himself as that thought entered his mind.  _When did I start caring about what the right thing to do was?, he wondered.  He looked at Alina.  "You will be welcome with us, Professor Terringer, if you so desire."_

            Alina was surprised, but she managed to hide it.  Although Draco had planted the thought in his head, all Lucius had to do was deny it.  Instead, he extended an invitation to her.  Two weeks ago, she would have refused it with every fiber of her being.  But now, after all that had happened… perhaps he really _had changed._

            "Thank you," she said.  "I will accept your kind offer."

A/N: Ooooh, Alina's staying with the Malfoys… bum bum buuuummm…  Hope you enjoyed this chapter.  I had fun writing it – Malfoys and Dursleys, ha ha.  Just the idea makes me crack up.  In other news, though…  I know I've updated this story pretty consistently every few days, but things are getting pretty hectic with Christmas and other things.  I'll try to maintain the frequent updates, but I can't make any promises at this point.  (Quick note to VoyICJ – No, I'm not out partying.  ^_^)  Thanks to all my readers and reviewers; it really makes my day when I get up in the morning and see that more people have read my story.  Keep reading!

_~ This chapter is dedicated to my grandma, who died this morning.__  RIP, Grandma.  __I love you ~_


	17. French and Shakespeare

Before I begin this next chapter… thanks to everyone who offered condolences regarding the recent death in my family.  Your sympathy is much appreciated.  ^_^

~~ Chapter Seventeen: French and Shakespeare ~~

            The Malfoy summer home in Cardiff proved to be a prime location to lie low for a while.  It was located out of the way and was someone difficult to get to, plus, there were Muggle-repelling charms all around it and it would provide seclusion from their mysterious enemies – for a time, anyway.  Without the protection of a large number of other wizards and witches around, that was their only advantage.

It was just before sunset that Lucius Malfoy, his son, and their two guests arrived at the estate.  The Malfoys wasted no time in giving Harry and Alina a quick tour of the house; however, the "quick tour" took nearly an hour because of the sheer size of the place.  Afterwards, Harry and Draco decided they were going to make sandwiches for the four of them, and while they did that, Lucius offered to give Alina a "quick tour" of the immediate vicinity.

            "I don't know if this is such a good idea," Alina commented as she and Lucius walked out into the garden.  "The last 'quick tour' wasn't so quick."

            "We won't go far," Lucius promised.  "We'll keep the house in sight."

            Alina glanced back at the massive abode towering above them.  "That won't be very difficult."

            "Touché," he said, and they both smiled.

"Parlez-vous francais?" she inquired.

"Oui," he answered.  "Et toi?"

            A smug look crossed her face as she spoke her reply.  "J'assiste a l'ecole au Beauxbatons.  Enchantement musical, mon ami distrait."  Then she winked.

            "That's right," Lucius said, nodding his head slightly as he remembered.

            "I didn't know you spoke French," Alina commented.

            "And German, Danish, Russian, and Spanish," he said.  "It comes in handy for all the traveling I have to do for the Ministry."

            "Are you still employed by them?"

            "I've taken a leave of absence.  Once everything goes back down to the normal amount of chaos, I will return."

            "'Normal amount of chaos'?" she repeated.

            "Once a new Minister is appointed and whatever attacked my family is eliminated," he explained.

            Alina nodded.  That made sense.  The Ministry of Magic was a very complicated organization, and things had only gotten worse since the death of Cornelius Fudge.  Hopefully, the new minister would restore order in a timely fashion.  "Who do you think will become the new Minister?" she asked.

            "Eko Chang," Lucius replied without hesitation.  "He's relatively young for that position, but he is by no means incompetent."

            "I guess we'll find out."

            "Yes, I guess we shall."

            They walked on in silence for the next few minutes, enjoying the beauty of their surroundings and the presence of the other.  For some unknown reason, the memory of the escapade with the Dursleys earlier that day surfaced in Lucius's mind.  He smiled to himself as he mentally replayed the events.  Harry had been right – the Dursleys certainly hadn't altered his feelings toward Muggles for the better.  They were gullible, dense, and ill mannered.  He had quickly lost his patience with them and was about to turn them all into newts (or perform some other equally awful curse that broke nearly every law about Muggle-wizard relations) when Alina showed up.

            Alina… oh, how that woman confused him.  First, she nearly died to save Draco.  Then Snape said she was in love with him, but what he witnessed the night Su Li was killed suggested otherwise.  And then there was the incident with the Dursleys, where she pulled off the role of his wife without a hitch.  He doubted that even Narcissa could have put on a better performance.

            Lucius had mixed feelings about Narcissa.  In truth, the only reason he married her was because he needed an heir.  There was a physical attraction, of course – she was a very beautiful woman, and he wasn't so bad in the looks department himself.  However, with no real substance, their lust quickly faded.  Even though their marriage was little more than a social alliance, there was one thing they had a great amount of between them: respect.  They didn't love each other, but they respected each other, and if they hadn't been so preoccupied with their own individual lives, they might have been able to become friends.  Perhaps they would even have fallen in love eventually.  Who knew?  Certainly not him, and now that she was dead, there was no way he would ever find out.

            He couldn't change the mistakes in his past, but he did have the power to affect the future.  Lucius glanced at the woman walking beside him.  Alina happened to look at him at the same instant, and she smiled warmly at him.  She had a beautiful smile, he noticed.  He smiled back and quickly looked away to avoid blushing.  Never before had he felt like this about anyone.  Was it… love?

            _Stop it, he told himself as those thoughts entered his head.  __Have you already forgotten that she's not a pureblood?  Malfoys do not fall in love, and they most assuredly do not fall in love with Muggle-borns._

_            Just the same, though, the argument which had once been so convincing suddenly seemed meaningless…_

Two hundred miles away, in London, another man was with the woman in his life.  Unlike Lucius Malfoy, though, his feelings toward his partner were completely homogeneous.  There were no second thoughts regarding her and the decision they were making.

            Even so, Eko Chang was doing his best to make sure they were certain before proceeding.  "There's still time, you know," he pointed out.  "All you have to do is tell me to-"

            "Get on with it," the man interrupted.

            Chang nodded.  "Right.  Get on with it."  He paused, trying to remember what came next.  He had never performed a marriage ceremony before, and only participated in one himself many years earlier.  No such luck.  "I'm sorry, I forgot what comes next."

            "Oh, it's all right," the woman said.  "Just make something up.  You're the minister."

            "I'm an _interim minister," Chang corrected, "and of __magic."  Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he said, "But what in this world is more magical than the union of two hearts into one?  By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife.  You know what to do."_

            A warm smile appeared on the interim Minister of Magic's face as he became the sole witness to this union that would soon become known throughout the world.  And there, under the pleased eye of Eko Chang, Albus and Minerva Dumbledore shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

            "So the words… they mean nothing at all?"

            "Absolutely nothing," Alina Terringer said in response to Draco Malfoy's question.  "Musical Enchantment is purely melodic.  That's why it works with instruments other than the voice.  Instrumentalists become stronger faster than vocalists, but vocal is more convenient and far more powerful in the end, if you're willing to put in all the time and effort needed to attain that level of skill."

            "Is it worth it?" inquired Harry Potter.  The three of them were sitting on the floor in the library of the large house, and she was answering questions they had about her field.  The current whereabouts of Lucius Malfoy were unknown.

            Alina hesitated before giving a reply.  "That depends on what you value in life," she said.  "If you value power above all else, then nothing will give you more power than Musical Enchantment.  It takes hard work, dedication, and commitment.  If you don't focus your entire life in the field, you will never master it.  But if you value friendship and family, it's not worth it.  Devotion to the study must come before personal happiness, and it will drive away everyone you've ever loved."

            Harry and Draco looked at each other.  In their mind, this sounded like the voice of experience talking.  They didn't understand, though.  Alina was a Master of Musical Enchantment, and she seemed happy enough.  She had friends, and all her students adored her.  Was there something they missed?

            "You say that like you've been through it," Draco said, speaking for both of them.

            She closed her eyes and nodded.  "I have."  Her eyes opened, and her gaze became fixed on the two boys.  "Know this, both of you.  Nothing is worth being alone the rest of your life.  _Nothing.  Don't make my mistake."  She rose to her feet.  "If you'll excuse me, please, it's been a long day.  See you in the morning."_

            Once she was gone, Harry looked at Draco and said, "If she's happy with her life, then my name is Garfunkel."

            Draco nodded in agreement.  "And mine's Wilford.  What do you think happened?"

            "Isn't it obvious?" Harry asked.  "She's lonely."

            "Lonely…" Draco repeated.  "But how?  Everyone loves her.  Everyone except my father, that is."  He paused, then spoke again.  "Well, I know he's a little put out over the fact that she's a Muggle-born, but he doesn't _hate her."_

            "I think if they could get over the differences in their bloodlines, they could be good friends," Harry commented.  "My parents were like that, you know – pureblood father, Muggle-born mother."

            A mischievous smile crept onto Draco's face.  "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

            Harry caught the look, and he grinned, too.  "Absolutely."

            The two boys high-fived and began plotting.

            Half asleep, the newly married Minerva Dumbledore was laying on the bed in the bedroom of the small apartment provided by the Ministry of Magic to herself and her husband, replaying the events of the day in her mind.  It was an unusual wedding, but it served its purpose.  She knew from the minute she accepted Albus's proposal that a small, informal wedding with minimal attendance was what she wanted.  The attendance certainly was minimal at their ceremony – only three of them were there.  They hadn't planned to marry so soon; in fact, they hadn't planned to marry until the end of the school year.  Recent events, however, made them rethink those plans.  Neither one of them knew how long it would take to vanquish this enemy or even if they would survive to see its end, and the death of a student at the claws of a Nundu, of all creatures, did not boost their morale much.  The light provided by a little happiness in the center of darkness never hurt anyone.

            She heard the creak of a door opening, and then the click of it shutting, and smiled to herself.  It had to be Dumbledore.  He and Eko Chang had some things to go over, and he promised her he would be back at about this time.  "Good evening, Professor Dumbledore," she said as she heard him enter the bedroom.

            "Good evening yourself, Professor Dumbledore," he replied.  He laid down on the bed so that her back was facing him, propped himself up with one elbow, and caressed her arm with his free hand.  "If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

            A smile appeared on her face.  "_Romeo and Juliet, act one, scene five," she said, recognizing almost at once where those words came from.  She rolled over so she was facing him, and brought her palm to his.  "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."_

            "Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" he replied.

            "Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

            "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do!  They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

            "Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake."

            "Then move not while my prayer's effects I take.  Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purged."  He kissed her, softly and gently, as if she was a dream he would wake up from if the kiss was too strong.

            "Then have my lips the sin that they have took," Minerva said when the kiss ended.

            "Sin from my lips?  O trespass sweetly urged!  Give me my sin again."

            The kiss that followed that line was much more intense than the previous.  Soon, Dumbledore's lips left hers and drifted to her neck.  Shivers of excitement ran down Minerva's spine, and she spoke again.  "Lovers can see to do their amorous rites, and by their own beauties; or, if love be blind, it best agrees with night.  Come, civil night, thou sober-suited matron all in black, and learn me how to lose a winning match, played for a pair of stainless maidenhoods. Hood my unmanned blood, bating in my cheeks, with thy black mantle till strange love grow bold, think true love acted simple modesty."

            Dumbledore stopped kissing her.  "You just skipped an entire act," he commented.

            "I don't recall Romeo ever saying that."

            He smiled and kissed her again.  "Romeo can keep Juliet.  I have Minerva."

            "Then Juliet can keep Romeo.  As long as Minerva has Albus, she will be satisfied."

            And she was… very satisfied.

A/N: Sorry about the lack of AD/MM in the last few chapters… I think this made up for it, ha ha.  Hope you all like Shakespeare and implicit love scenes.  Implicit is good when you're trying to keep things at a PG/PG-13-ish level.  Implicit is bad in calculus, though… implicit differentiation… bleh, hate implicit differentiation.  *mad scowl*  Oh, and in case you don't speak French, the rough translations for the Lucius/Alina French dialogue is as follows:

Alina: "Parlez-vous francais?" = "Do you speak French?"

Lucius: "Oui.  Et toi?" = "Yes.  And you?"

Alina: "J'assiste a l'ecole au Beauxbatons.  Enchantement musical, mon ami distrait."  = "I attended school at Beauxbatons.  Musical Enchantment, my forgetful friend."

I'm a former first-year French student with a dictionary and a sudden desire to incorporate some language other than English into this story, so if my sentences and/or translations aren't entirely accurate, please find it in your heart to forgive me.  

Today's Wednesday, so I'll wish you all a happy Wednesday and be off.  ^_^


	18. From Sweet to Sour, Part I

~~ Chapter Eighteen: From Sweet to Sour, Part I ~~

            "Oops."

            Harry Potter looked up from the piece of paper he was reading and turned his attention to Draco Malfoy.  "What do you mean, 'oops'?"

            Draco looked at the contents of the bowl in front of him.  "I accidentally dropped an eggshell."

            "Oh, that's not good."  Harry set the directions for baking cookies down and walked over to Draco and the bowl.  "Can you see any pieces?"

            Draco shook his head.

            "Oh, well.  We'll just have to warn people before they eat them.  Now, we add three cups of flour."

            They added the flour, and stirred it together.  With the addition of the newest ingredient, the dough started to thicken.  "This is kind of fun," Draco commented.  "Do you make cookies a lot?"

            "Whenever Dudley wanted any," Harry replied, "which was about two or three times a week."

            The two boys laughed.  Harry added some more flour to the dough, and they continued stirring.  Before long, it reached the desired thickness.   "That's good," Harry said, setting down his mixing spoon.  "Where are the chocolate chips?"

            "Over here," Draco said, walking over to another counter and retrieving the bowl of chocolate chips.  He walked back, holding the desired commodity in his hands.  "What do I do with it?"

            "Pour it in here," Harry answered, "and we stir again."

            Draco added the chocolate chips to the dough, and they stirred it until the chips were evenly distributed throughout the substance.  "I think I see a piece of eggshell," Harry said, picking out a small white flake on the surface of the dough.  "Well, that's one down, three hundred to go."

            "Sorry," Draco said.

            "Don't worry about it.  It happens to the best of us."

            By and by, along came Lucius Malfoy.  "What are you boys up to?" he inquired, sticking his head into the kitchen.

            "We're baking cookies, Mr. Malfoy," Harry replied.  "Want to help?"

            A small smile of amusement appeared on Lucius's face.  "No, thank you."

            "Father, do you know where Professor Terringer is?" Draco asked.  "We haven't seen her all morning."

            "I saw her about three hours ago, in the west library," Lucius answered.  "She looked busy, so I didn't interrupt her.

            At that moment, who should appear next to Lucius but Alina Terringer herself.  "I _was busy," she confirmed, "and thank you for not interrupting my work.  The students of Skyliner Wizarding Academy will be eternally grateful."  Her eyes fell upon Harry and Draco's concoction.  "Ooooh, you're making cookie dough!" she exclaimed.  "Quick, eat it before it turns to salmonella!"_

            "Skyliner," Lucius repeated thoughtfully.  "Is that the school in Switzerland you were asked to speak at?"

            She nodded.  "Yes.  They're small, about one-third the size of Hogwarts, but quite prestigious, I'm told."

            "Hey, that's kind of good," Draco commented, eating a little bit of the dough.

            "Oh, you _can't tell me you've never eaten cookie dough before," Alina said._

Draco shook his head.  "The thought never occurred to me."

            "You've been deprived.  Eat that cookie dough.  But not too much, or you might get a stomachache."

            "Goodness gracious," Lucius asked.  "Do all Muggles eat the dough?"

            Alina looked at him.  "_You've never eaten cookie dough, either?  Oh, dear."  She pulled a chunk of dough out of the bowl and offered it to him.  "Care to experience one of the best things the Muggle world has to offer?"_

            Lucius hesitated.  Being quite wary when it came to incorporating Muggle ways into his lifestyle, he took a moment to contemplate the possible results of this seemingly innocent action.

            "Come on," Alina said after seeing him hesitate.  Her tone of voice suggested that she was trying to persuade a six-year-old to eat his vegetables.  "It's just cookie dough."

            She was teasing him now, and that made him smile involuntarily.  "I don't know," he said, trying to avoid making eye contact with her.

            "Come on, you can do it," she said, bringing the finger that held the cookie dough on it toward his lips.  "Open up.  It's not going to bring down the entire Malfoy dynasty if you eat some cookie dough."

            Harry and Draco were practically shaking from trying to hold in their laughter.  Even Lucius was starting to chuckle.  "Lucius Malfoy," Alina said, "if you do not eat this cookie dough, I will make you beg for death before I finally end your life."

            "All right!"  Lucius took the dough from her finger and placed it in his mouth. 

"Oh, chew carefully," Harry warned.  "Draco dropped an eggshell."

            Draco smiled sheepishly.  "Yeah."

            "Thanks for the warning," Alina said, taking a bit of dough herself.  She looked at Lucius.  "What do you think, Malfoy?"

            "It's not bad," Lucius admitted, surprised at himself for saying that.

            "Told you," she said, and winked.  "Didn't I tell you?"  She looked at the boys.  "Didn't I tell him?"

            "All right, all right, you told me," Lucius said.  "You don't have to rub it in."

            "You two fight like you're married," Harry commented.

            Lucius and Alina then realized how close they were standing to each other.  Both of them blushed slightly and put some distance between them.  Draco was about to say something to Harry, but at that moment, Harry's owl, Hedwig, flew in an open window with a letter in her beak.  Harry held out his arm, and Hedwig landed on it.  "What's this?" he asked, taking the letter from her.  He read the name on it, then handed it to Lucius.  "It's for you, Mr. Malfoy."

            Lucius broke the wax seal on the letter and unfolded it.  "It's from the Ministry of Magic," he read.  His brow wrinkled with concern as he read the letter, and when he reached its end, he looked at Alina.  "They want us in London.  Both of us."

            "How soon?" Alina asked.

            "Immediately," Lucius replied.  "Tomorrow at the latest.  They want my personal input on the appointment of a new Minister, and your presence is requested for an undisclosed reason."  He glanced at the boys, then whispered in Alina's ear, "I need to speak with you in private.  They've identified the creature that killed Fudge and Su Li."

            "Is something wrong?" Draco asked, noticing the concerned looks on his father and teacher's faces.

            "Harry, Draco, you two just worry about the cookies right now," Alina said.  "We'll be back in a few minutes."

            The boys watched Lucius and Alina leave, and then Harry spoke.  "Something's up," Harry said.  "Something's definitely up."

            Draco nodded in agreement.  "Do you think we'll ever find out what it is?"

            "I'm afraid so."

            Lucius and Alina left the house and retreated to the sprawling gardens to discuss these urgent matters.  They had been walking in silence along a wide grass path lined with cherry trees for several minutes before Alina spoke.  "You said they found out what killed Fudge and Su," she said.  "What was it, a werewolf?"

            Lucius shook his head.  "As if we should be so lucky to be dealing with just a werewolf," he said.  He stopped walking, and noticing his halt, she stopped as well.  His eyes locked with hers, and he spoke again.  "It was a Nundu."

            "A Nundu?" Alina repeated, unable to believe what she just heard.

            He nodded.  "A Nundu is something like a-"

            "I know what a Nundu is," Alina interrupted.  "I just… didn't think they existed, that's all."  She paused as the pieces in this puzzle began to come together in her mind.  "Then it was a Nundu that killed your family, too," she realized.

            "It has to be," Lucius said.  "The four parallel gashes, two inches apart and an inch or so deep… no other creature leaves a mark like that.  It was Professor McGonagall who realized it was a cat, and only a Nundu is a big enough cat to make marks that size."

            "But how could a Nundu have gotten all the way up here?" she asked.  "They're supposed to live in East Africa, and they must be very rare."

            "It didn't get here by itself, that's for sure," he said.  "Someone must have brought it."

            Alina saw where this was going.  "Someone like…"  There was no need to speak his name.  He knew as well as she did who she was referring to: Voldemort.

            "Yes.  Someone like him."  He walked a few feet away and turned his back to her, unable to look her in the eyes during his moment of weakness.  "He killed them.  All of them.  If I had been there-"

            "He would have killed you, too," she interjected.  She walked over to him and put her hand on his arm.  "Then Draco would be alone and you wouldn't be here to make sure he was cared for.  Don't blame yourself, Lucius."

            Lucius was a little surprised.  Aside from the act they put on for the Dursleys the previous day, that was the first time he'd ever heard her call him by his first name.  He was about to comment on that when the pounding footsteps of something approaching rapidly from behind them reached their ears.  He pulled out his wand and stepped in front of Alina, ready to face whatever this thing was.

            They half-expected a Nundu, so when they saw that the incoming creature was a unicorn, both of them were quite relieved.  "Elessara!" Alina said, walking over to the elegant animal and draping her arm around its majestic neck.  Elessara did not "belong" to her, so to speak; rather, she belonged to the unicorn.  Unicorns had no masters, but they did have soul mates.

            Lucius took a tentative step closer to Alina and Elessara.  Unicorns preferred women, and he wasn't sure how this particular unicorn would react to him.  Alina saw his movement and beckoned him closer with her hand.  "It's all right," she said.  "Just move slowly."

            He did, and Elessara watched him and didn't move.  Soon, he was standing next to Alina and was close enough to touch the unicorn.  "Go ahead," Alina encouraged him when she saw him looking at the magical creature.

            Lucius reached his hand toward the unicorn, and soon, his fingers were touching her neck.  Elessara twitched slightly, but, reassured by Alina's presence, did not shy away from him.  "I don't believe this," he said, smiling in amazement as the unicorn allowed him to pet her.  "This is amazing."

            Alina was beaming.  "I think she likes you," she commented.  "I've never seen her take to anyone like this."

            "I thought unicorns didn't like men," Lucius said.

            "They _prefer women, but they do like men," Alina replied.  "Well, as much as men deserve to be liked, that is."_

            Lucius cast her a suspicious look.  "Are you implying something?"

            "I might be."  A twinkle appeared in her eye, and she smiled.  "Have you ever ridden on the back of a unicorn?"

            The unicorn galloped across the grounds with her two passengers as swiftly and lightly as if they weren't even there.  Alina was used to riding on Elessara, but Lucius wasn't, and his tension was starting to show.  She took a moment to glance over her shoulder at him and said, "You can relax.  She won't let you fall." 

            "I'm sharing a seat on the back of a unicorn with a siren," Lucius replied.  "Do you think it's _falling I'm worried about?"_

            A shy smile worked its way onto Alina's lips, and she faced forward again.  Strands of her long, golden brown hair were blowing in his face from the wind generated by the unicorn's speed, and he gently smoothed them aside.  Those strands were quickly replaced by more, and the task proved to be much more difficult than he originally anticipated.  Alina chuckled when she realized what he was trying to do.  "Let me help you," she said, reaching her right hand up to her hair to pull it aside.

            Their fingers touched, and for a few moments, neither one moved.  Elessara slowed down to a canter.  Lucius found the rest of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  "Alina," he said, "there's something I have to know."

            He was almost surprised when she didn't pull her hand away; in fact, she gripped it tighter.  "Then ask, and know."

            "You hated me," he said.  "Everyone knew that, and you even told me yourself.  But then you nearly died to save Draco, and then there was the incident with the Dursleys… what happened?"

            "I had a feeling this would come up soon," Alina replied.  She rotated her upper body so she was facing him.  "Do you remember that conversation we had the night Draco was injured in Quidditch?"  She then let go of his hand and dropped her arm.  "I'm sorry, but that was terribly uncomfortable."

            He placed his hand over her left hand, then brought her fingers up to his lips and kissed them.  "Is that better?"

            She smiled and lowered her eyes briefly.  "Much."

            "Yes, I remember the conversation," he said in response to her question.

            "What I said didn't apply just to Draco.  I had you in mind as well.  I never dreamed you were capable of caring so much, and it opened my eyes to a whole new side of you."

            Elessara's pace had dropped to a trot.

            "When Severus told me you were planning to deal with those awful Muggles, I knew I had to intervene in case something went wrong," she continued.  "Your methods of handling Muggles are not exactly the best, after all."

            Lucius half-smiled and nodded.  "That's true," he admitted.  Elessara slowed to a walk.

            "But," she said, "it touched my heart that you were willing to deal with people like them for the sake of your son and his friend.  I was wrong about you, Lucius.  Beneath everything I thought I hated about you was a good man waiting to be set loose.  Severus told me not to give up on you."

            "Which reminds me, there's something else I must know," he said.  "What is the story behind you and Severus?"

            "Severus is my friend," she replied, "nothing more, nothing less.  He is a good man, but…"

            "But what?" he whispered, leaning in close to her so their faces were inches apart.

            "But I love another."

            Following those words, the ancient feud between their two bloodlines ended as Malfoy and Muggle-born shared their first kiss.


	19. From Sweet to Sour, Part II

~~ Chapter Nineteen: From Sweet to Sour, Part II ~~

            Three hours later, the four of them were on a train bound for London.  The trip was fairly quiet at first, with Draco and Harry talking about Quidditch between themselves and Lucius and Alina smiling shyly whenever they happened to catch the eye of the other.  After running circles around each other since meeting, they finally came clean about their feelings.  So much for the easy part – now they had to figure out just how they were going to handle this newfound affection.

            Harry and Draco's conversation about Quidditch reached its end, and for a moment, the boys were silent.  Then, Harry said, "Ducks don't have any thumbs."

            "That was random," Draco said, looking at his friend.

            "I'm serious!" Harry responded.  "You show me a duck that has thumbs and I'll stand on my head and recite the alphabet backwards."

            "Reciting the alphabet backwards is difficult enough without standing on your head," Alina commented.

            Lucius decided to attempt it.  "Z, Y, X, W, V – no, U, V… what's before V?"

            "No, you had it right the first time," Alina said.  "It's V, then U, if you're doing it backwards.  Then it's T."

            "What's before T?" asked Draco.

            "S, I think," Harry said.  "Then R, P – no, R, Q, P."

            "O, N, M," continued Lucius.  "Then… it's not J, it's not L – wait, it _is L.  O, N, M, L, J… no, no, no…"_

            "Isn't K between L and J?" inquired Alina.

            "Yes, it is," Draco said.  "It's L, _K, J, I, H, G."_

            "F, E, D, C, B, A!" Harry finished.  "Go us!"

            Harry and Draco high-fived.  Alina looked at Lucius.  "Now we have to do it all in one stretch," she said with a smile.

            "I think I've got it now," Lucius said.  "Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L…"  He paused for a moment to remember, then continued.  " K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A."

            "Lucius, I'm impressed," said Alina.  "That's quite an accomplishment."

            "She called him Lucius," Harry whispered to Draco.

            "I noticed that, too," Draco whispered back.  "And he called her Alina when we got on the train.  Did we miss something?"

            "What are you two plotting over there?" asked Lucius.

            Harry and Draco looked at each other, and, stammering to find words, Harry quickly said, "Why does hair grow down and grass grow up?"

            "You're really dishing it out today, Harry," Alina noticed.  "First the duck thumbs, and now this.  Any other random comments we should be made aware of?"

            Harry shook his head.  "Nothing comes to mind, but if I think of something, I'll let you know."

            "Thank you."  Alina turned her attention to Lucius.  "Did the Ministry say at all why they wanted to see me?"

            He shook his head and replied in the negative.  "All it said was 'the presence of Professor Alina C. Terringer, Master of Musical Enchantment, is requested for confidential reasons.'"

            "What does the C stand for, Professor Terringer?" inquired Draco.

            "It's my middle name," she answered.  "Calamity."  When she noticed the surprised looks that appeared on Harry, Draco, and Lucius's faces, she laughed and said, "No, not really.  It's Christane."

            "Alina Christane Terringer," Lucius said.  "A lovely name, but unworthy of its bearer."

            Alina smiled mischievously.  "And what would you have my name be?"

            "Aphrodite."

            Lucius leaned in to kiss her, and she lifted her chin in acceptance.  Then, they remembered that Harry and Draco were sitting in front of them, and they began to move away from each other.  "Oh, go ahead," Harry said.  "We've already figured it out."

            "Can you believe it?" Draco asked as Lucius and Alina kissed.  "All that time wasted on figuring out how to set them up, and they go and do it on their own."

            A staircase ran from the street to the entrance of the main administrative building of the Ministry of Magic, and Eko Chang and Albus and Minerva Dumbledore were waiting for Lucius and his companions at the top of it.  "We're glad you could come on such short notice," Chang said as Lucius reached them.  "I promise you that this will be worth your time."

            "I believe you," Lucius replied.  What do we know about…"  He paused, glanced to the left, then to the right, and mouthed, "the Nundu?"

            Chang's face grew dark.  He looked at Alina for about ten seconds, then said, "We'll talk about that."

            "Talk about what?" inquired Draco.

            "You'll know when the time is right," Chang assured him.  He motioned toward the building.  "Come.  We have much to discuss."

            Harry and Draco were dropped off in the Ministry library (but not without protest from the two boys), and the five adults continued on to Chang's office.  As soon as the door was shut, Lucius practically pounced on Chang with his questions.  "Are you _sure it was a Nundu?" he said.  "It couldn't have possibly been anything else?"_

            Chang shook his head.  "I searched all our archives myself, _twice.  The Nundu is the only creature the marks match."_

            "How did a Nundu get here in the first place?" asked Lucius.

            "It has to be You-know-who," Minerva Dumbledore said.  "Who else is powerful enough to control a Nundu?"

            "Maybe it's someone else, who couldn't control it, and it got loose," Alina suggested.

            "That's not possible," Chang said.  "These killings were not random.  Every single one was premeditated, even the latest."

            "Su Li," Alina said.

            Chang closed his eyes and shook his head.  "No.  Su Li was not the latest."  He opened his eyes and looked at Albus Dumbledore.  "I don't think that I… that I should be the one to tell her."

            Dumbledore nodded in agreement.  "No, probably not."

            Alina's eyes narrowed suspiciously.  "What happened?  Is this why you sent for me?"

            "It is," Dumbledore confirmed.  "Whoever is controlling the Nundu has left us a trail of clues.  That trail led our tracking crew to a cottage outside of Cambridge.  In that cottage, two bodies were found.  They were killed by the Nundu, mutilated almost beyond recognition, but they were identified… as Jonathon and Rebecca Terringer."

            Alina screamed in horror, and dropped to the floor.  Lucius knelt down next to her and draped a comforting arm over her shoulders.  She buried her face in his shoulder and wept bitterly.  He helped her stand and hugged her tightly.  "Are you sure of this?" he asked Dumbledore.

            "I am sure," Dumbledore replied, his voice heavy.  "I'm so sorry, Alina."

            Alina was too distraught to reply, and continued to sob.  "What is being done to eliminate the Nundu?" said Lucius.

            "Our squads are following the trail, but they cannot keep up," Chang replied.  "The creature moves and kills swiftly."

            "You said that you're tracking it," Lucius said.  "Where is it going?"

            "East, for now," Minerva answered.  "But there's a problem.  This trail is almost too easy to follow.  It's like the Nundu is leaving us clues to find on purpose – footprints, slash marks on trees, dead vegetation… almost like it wants to be found."

            "Good.  Then we can find it, and we can kill it," Lucius declared.  "It was personal before this, but now there's all the more reason to destroy this creature.  I want it _dead."_

            "We're all out for blood, Lucius," Dumbledore said.  "I swear on my life, the Nundu _will be eliminated, and if it is being controlled by someone, I will see them killed as well."_

            "No," Lucius said.  "Death is too good.  Let them rot in Azkaban and be tortured every day, slowly and painfully.  Let them feel, for the rest of their miserable lives, the excruciating pain inflicted upon us."  He turned his eyes downward to Alina, who was still completely incoherent.  Seeing her like this, falling apart in his arms, made his heart ache, and he closed his eyes to halt the forming tears of his own.

            Dumbledore looked at Minerva, and his wife nodded her head once.  "Lucius," he said, "the Ministry has prepared rooms for Harry, Draco, Alina, and yourself.  They're located on the third floor of the north wing.  The numbers are three hundred fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen.  Alina needs to rest.  Eko must attend to other business, but Minerva and I will be here.  When the two of you feel ready, we will continue."

            Lucius nodded in acknowledgement.  "Thank you."

            It wasn't until they were inside room three hundred fourteen that Alina finally found the ability to speak.  "They're dead," she said.  "My parents… what reason would Voldemort have to kill them?"

            Lucius didn't have an answer.  In truth, the question stumped him, too.  Her parents were Muggles – relatively well-known figures within that world, but still Muggles nonetheless.  They weren't a threat to Voldemort, so why would he take the time to kill them?  There were a number of possibilities, but none of them made any sense.  It would appear that Voldemort was striking at Alina, but why?  What role did she play in this?

            Alina walked over to the window on the opposite wall.  The curtains were drawn, and she parted them with her hand and gazed down on the street below.  "When is this going to end?" she asked.  "How many more innocents will have to die before it stops?"

            He followed her to the window and slipped his arm around her slender waist.  "Narcissa, the elves, Fudge, Su Li, your parents… who's next?"

            "That's one thing I hope we never have to find out."  She looked out the window for a few more moments, then spoke again.  "Did you love your wife?"

            "I respected her."

            "That wasn't what I asked."

            Lucius sighed softly.  "How could I have loved someone I barely knew?  Now I wish that I had taken the time to get to know her, but it's too late.  All I can do is try my best to make sure I don't make that mistake again."  He turned so he was facing her, then spoke again.  "For the first time in my life, I'm starting to see things clearly.  I can't change what I've done in the past, but I can try to make amends and secure the future.  You have to trust me."

            "A leopard doesn't change its spots."

            "That's true, but the spots are only skin deep."

            An amused smile flickered on her face for an instant.  "It looks like another cliché bites the dust."

            It was almost an hour before they felt ready to Dumbledore and the others.  Arm in arm, Lucius and Alina walked through the corridors toward the Minister's office.  Suddenly, a door to another office opened, and a voice said, "Malfoy!"

            Lucius recognized the voice immediately, and he suppressed a grimace.  Arthur Weasley.  He and Alina stopped walking, and Lucius turned his head toward the direction of Arthur's office.  "What do you want, Weasley?"

            Arthur stepped into the hall.  "I need a word with you."  He saw Alina, and added, "Alone, if that's all right."

            "Very well."  Lucius looked at Alina.  "Can you find your way all right?"

            She nodded.  "Yes."

            "Go on ahead.  I won't be long."  He kissed her on the cheek, then followed Arthur inside his office.  He closed the door behind him.  "Make this quick, Weasley."

            Alina watched the door close behind Lucius, then turned around to continue on to the Minister's office.  She stopped, though, when she saw someone walking toward her.  "Hello, Professor McGonagall," she said.

            "Good evening, Professor Terringer," Minerva Dumbledore replied, walking up to her, "but my last name is no longer McGonagall.  Albus and I were married last night."

            "Well, congratulations, Professor Dumbledore," Alina said, making sure she got the name right this time.

            A small smile appeared on Minerva's face.  "Thank you.  Where is Malfoy?"

            Alina gestured toward Arthur's office with her hand.  "He's speaking to Mr. Weasley."

            The smile vanished, and was replaced by a look of concern.  "Oh, dear."

            "This won't take long," Arthur said, walking over to his seat behind his desk.  "Have a seat."

            Lucius sat down in a chair in front of the desk.  "What do you want, Weasley?"

            "I hear you've taken Harry Potter in for the time being," Arthur said.  "Is this true?"

            "It is," Lucius confirmed with a nod.  "Why do you ask?"

            "You can't honestly think that I can relax knowing that boy is with _you," Arthur replied.  "Why'd you do it, Malfoy?  What sort of trap are you setting this time?"_

            Lucius had no patience with this man, but he fought hard to maintain his composure as he spoke a reply.  "We took Harry in when the school closed so he wouldn't have to stay with Muggles.  He and Draco are friends."

            "This has to be the first time I've ever seen you perform an act of kindness."

            "If you're trying to get my vote for Minister, Weasley, you can just forget about it."

            Arthur almost laughed.  "You think that's what this is about?  I'm voting for Chang, and if you want what's best for the Ministry, you'll vote for Chang, too.  I was merely pointing out that there are some who believe this gesture was not made with honorable intentions."

            Lucius was starting to see where this was going.  "You think I'm going to kill Harry, don't you?"

            "I was thinking more along the line of handing him over to Voldemort."

            "Voldemort betrayed me," Lucius spat.  "He killed my family.  If I had been there, he would have killed me, too.  I am his enemy forever."

            "Whatever you say."  Arthur folded his hands on his desk and leaned forward in his chair.  "It's just awfully convenient that you weren't at Malfoy Manor at the time of the attack."

            "You _know I was on official business for the Ministry of Magic," Lucius said.  "You think I had a hand in the attacks, don't you?  Why would I kill my own family?"_

            "To make it look like you are the victim here."

            "I _am the victim here!" he nearly yelled.  He took several deep breaths to calm himself, then spoke again, this time in a tone of voice that was considerably softer.  "I had no part in these murders.  Besides, it was a Nundu that killed them.  Not even Dumbledore is powerful enough to control a Nundu.  How could I?"_

            "Point taken, but be careful, Malfoy.  There's a cell in Azkaban with your name on it, and people who will not rest until you are locked up in it.  I'm telling you this for your own good."  Arthur glanced toward the door briefly, then said, "I see you've wasted no time in beginning your search for a Narcissa replacement.  Who's the new girl?"

            "She is _not a Narcissa replacement," Lucius responded, "and her name is Alina Terringer.  She's a teacher at Hogwarts."_

            "What, Draco isn't getting good marks in her class, so you think you can sweet-talk her into-"

            "That's enough," Lucius interrupted.  "That accusation is completely absurd, and I will hear no more of it."

            "My children have told me about her," Arthur continued.  "Her entire lineage is Muggles.  Isn't there some sort of Malfoy creed that prohibits fraternization with Muggles?"

            "You're a pureblood, too, Weasley, although I forget it sometimes."  He stood up.  "This conversation is over, and I am leaving.  Good-bye."

            The first thing Lucius saw after exiting Arthur Weasley's office was Alina Terringer, and his heart nearly stopped beating.  She looked angry.  To the side was Minerva Dumbledore, who was fighting to keep a neutral expression.  His stomach tied itself into a knot as he put the pieces in this puzzle together.  "You heard that, didn't you?" he asked softly.

            Alina nodded and glared at him.  "Every word.  Thanks for sticking up for me, Lucius."

            She started walking away at a rapid pace, and he had to run to catch up with her.  "Alina, wait," he said, grabbing on to her arm to stop her.  "I can explain."

            Alina jerked her arm away.  "No," she said, and resumed walking.  "I've heard enough."

            Lucius watched her go, and fought the urge to chase after her.  He could hear Minerva walking toward him, and when the footsteps stopped, he knew she was standing next to him.  "Go ahead," he said.  "You can say it."

            She did.  "You've really done it this time, Malfoy." 


	20. The Visitor

A/N: In this chapter, we're going to visit Hermione.  I couldn't find anything about where she lives or what her parents' names are, so I made them up.  If you know this information and can't deal with me making it up, let me know and I'll change it.

~~ Chapter Twenty: The Visitor ~~

            It had been two weeks since Hogwarts closed, and Hermione Granger had officially decided that she hated Muggle high schools.  Her parents, not wanting her to go who knew how long without an education, decided to enroll her in a public school until Hogwarts was open again.  What seemed like a good idea at the time quickly turned into one of the worst experiences in her life.

            Technically, Hermione was a little young for high school, but more than capable as far as mental capacity went.  Unfortunately, she had a difficult time fitting it.  It was hard enough for her to find her niche at Hogwarts, but here, she didn't even have the luxury of being in the company of other wizards and witches in training.  After almost two weeks of Muggle high school, she had no friends and was officially labeled a freak.

            It was on a Wednesday that Hermione decided she'd had enough.  After school, she went to her parents' office as usual, but today, with the intention to inform them that she wished to drop out of Muggle school.  Upon arriving at the office, Linda, the receptionist, greeted her and informed her that both of her parents were busy with patients at the moment.  Hermione thanked her and sat down at one of the tables in the waiting area with a copy of Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice._

            Several minutes passed.  Hermione heard the door open, but didn't look up from her book.  "Can I help you?" inquired Linda.

            "I'm looking for someone," a male voice said.  "I thought she might be here."

            Hermione stopped breathing as she recognized the voice.  She set the book down and turned around in her chair.  "Oliver?"

            The boy turned around, and smiled when he saw her.  It was indeed Oliver Wood.  Hermione stood up, and he walked over to her.  "What are you doing all the way here in Carlisle?" she asked as they hugged each other.  "I thought you lived in Edinburgh!"

            "I wanted to make sure you were all right," Oliver said.  "You didn't seem too happy in your last letter."

            The two had written to each other every few days since leaving Hogwarts, and Hermione told him that she was going to Muggle school for the time being.  Oliver, being a pureblood, had never attended any sort of Muggle educational facility.  He wanted to know how it worked; Hermione insisted that he didn't.

            "School's dreadfully boring," Hermione said, "and everyone is mean to me.  Oh, what I wouldn't give for a Divination final or some other academic undertaking."

            Oliver laughed.  "That's the Hermione we all know and love."

            "Trust me, it's awful," she said.  "Give me Potions over politics any day."  She asked him if he would like to sit down, and he accepted.  They sat.  "How are things with you?" she asked.  "Anything exciting happening in Edinburgh?"

            He shook his head.  "Not really."

            "I hear they elected a new Minister of Magic."

            "Yes, Eko Chang.  I'm not surprised."  He paused.  "Have you heard from Harry and Draco at all?  How are they doing?"

            Hermione's cheerful expression was quickly replaced by one of alarm.  "You didn't know?" she asked.

            "Know what?" he asked, concerned.  "What happened?  Are they all right?"

            "Harry and Draco are… well, I don't want to say _fine, but they'll be okay.  Big Malfoy, though, is completely incoherent."_

            Now he was just confused.  "What happened?" he repeated.

            "It's a long story," she said.  "Professor Snape told Professor Terringer that the Malfoys were going to talk to the Dursleys about letting Harry stay with them.  Professor Terringer met them there and put on a wonderful little act that made the Dursleys think the Malfoys were nobility or something and that they should feel honored that they wanted Harry to stay with them.  So Harry went with the Malfoys, and they extended the invitation to Professor Terringer because she didn't have anywhere to go.  The next day, they got an owl from the Ministry of Magic asking them to come to London, and somewhere between that time and getting on the train a few hours later, Big Malfoy and Professor Terringer decided that they were going to hook up.  Harry and Draco were somewhat disappointed; they wanted to have a hand in getting them together.  You follow?"

            Oliver smiled.  "I follow.  Those little troublemakers."

            "Anyway," Hermione continued, "after they got to London, though, they found out what attacked Malfoy Manor and killed Fudge and Su Li."

            "What was it?" asked Oliver.

            Hermione bit her lip, and her eyes darted to the left, and then to the right before fixating themselves on him again.  "Technically, this information is still classified," she said, "but Harry said they're planning to release it soon."

            "Point taken," he said.

            She beckoned him to come closer with her hand, and they leaned their heads toward each other.  In his ear, Hermione whispered, "It was a Nundu."

            Oliver pulled away in shock.  "A Nu-" he started to say, but covered his mouth just in time. 

            She nodded.  "There's more.  It killed Professor Terringer's parents."

            His eyes grew wide with surprise and concern.  "But… but aren't they…"  He shifted uneasily, then said, "You know…"

            Hermione frowned and looked at the table out of the corners of her eyes to avoid looking at him.  "Muggles."

            Knowing Hermione's parents were Muggles as well made Oliver feel guilty about making that observation, and he apologized.  She didn't look at him.  "Hermione," he said softly, but firmly, "you know I didn't mean it that way."

            She remained silent and still.

            Oliver reached over and placed his hand on top of hers.  He said her name again, in a tone of voice barely above a whisper.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "Please don't be mad."

            "You don't understand," she replied.  "You were born a wizard.  You were raised a wizard.  You're _accepted by them.  I'm not."_

            "You're right; that was insensitive and I'm an idiot.  Will you forgive me?"

            Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but then looked down and saw that Oliver's hand was still covering hers.  Oliver noticed this, too, and he quickly pulled it away.  His cheeks flushed, and he mumbled, "Sorry."

            She almost smiled at the thought of Oliver getting embarrassed, but stopped herself just as the grin played with the corners of her mouth.  "It killed her parents," she said, getting back to the story, "and nobody knows why.  On top of that, Professor Terringer has left."

            "Left?" Oliver repeated.  "What do you mean, 'left'?"

            "I mean, she left, as in she's not staying with the Malfoys anymore," Hermione explained.  "She left London the day after they arrived and went to Switzerland."

            Now he was more confused than ever.  "What's she doing in Switzerland?"

            "Teaching."

            "She's leaving Hogwarts?" Oliver said, a little too loudly.

            The sudden sound grabbed the attention of Linda, and she looked over at the two teens.  "Is everything all right?" the receptionist asked.

            Oliver turned red again, and Hermione allowed herself to smile this time.  "It's all right, Linda," she said.  Then, to Oliver, she said, "She's not leaving Hogwarts; she's just teaching there until Hogwarts reopens."

            "Why isn't she staying with Malfoy anymore?"

            Hermione's face darkened.  "I don't know," she said.  "All Harry told me is that it did not go well.  Big Malfoy was practically begging her to stay, and she refused.  Now he's in a horrible mess, and Harry and Draco don't know what to do about it."

            The two of them then heard a door open and a female voice say Hermione's name.  They looked up and saw her mother, Dr. Emily Granger.  Emily was a tall, slender woman with brown eyes like her daughter's and thick blond hair pulled back into a French braid.  She wore glasses with thin gold frames and a white lab coat.  "Is everything all right?" she asked.

            Hermione nodded.  Her mother asked if she had any homework.  Hermione laughed and replied with, "Of course not.  No teachers at this school _ever assign homework that takes longer than five minutes of class time to complete, and even so, everyone complains about how much homework they get.  Supposedly, the world history teacher, Mr. Carpani, assigns a lot of homework, but he's __nothing compared to Professor McGonagall."_

            "McGonagall's backed off a lot lately," Oliver commented.

            "True," Hermione admitted, "but she _still gives out more homework than all the other teachers at Hogwarts put together."_

            Emily Granger smiled and looked at Oliver.  "Who's your friend, dear?"

            "Oh, of course!"  Hermione got up and stood next to Oliver.  Oliver stood as well.  "Oliver, this is my mother, Dr. Emily Granger.  Mother, this is a friend from school, Oliver Wood."

            "Nice to meet you, Dr. Granger," Oliver said, shaking Emily's hand.

            "So _you're the famous Oliver Wood," Emily replied with a smile.  "The one that's so good at…"  She looked at Hermione.  "What did you say the name of that game was?"_

            Hermione grinned.  "Quidditch."

            "That's right, Quidditch."

            Oliver smiled sheepishly.  "Thank you, Doctor."

            "He's also an accomplished violinist," Hermione said.

            Emily's brown eyes grew wide with curiosity.  "A violinist, you say?" she said, now deeply interested.  "How nice.  My husband used to play the cello."

            "And I can _still play it," a male voice insisted._

            The three of them looked up to see who had spoken.  It was the other Dr. Granger; Hermione's father, Martin.  Martin Granger was shorter and stockier for his sex than his wife, with dark brown hair with a forming bald spot and a beard.  Underneath thick eyebrows, his nearly black eyes sparkled brightly as they darted around the room, taking notice of anything and everything.  Like his wife, he wore a white lab coat, and also had on a pair of latex gloves.

            Emily smiled.  "I'm sure you can, dear."

            Hermione introduced her father to Oliver, and they shook hands.  "Where are you from, Oliver?" Martin asked.

            "Edinburgh," Oliver answered.  "Hermione and I are in the same house at Hogwarts, and we're also both in the Musical Enchantment study group."

            "That's right," Martin said, snapping his fingers.  "I remember hearing your name one or two times.  You play… what's it called?"

            "Quidditch," Hermione and Oliver said in unison.

            Martin nodded.  "Yes, Quidditch.  You know, Oliver, why don't you come over for dinner?  I'm sure Emily would like to get to know you better as much as I do, and this is really neither the time nor the place to do it."

            "Thank you, Dr. Granger," Oliver said.  "I would like that."

            "You can call me Martin."  Dr. Granger looked at his daughter.  "That all right with you, dear?"

            Hermione smiled and blushed slightly.  "Yes, Father.  Thank you."

            Hermione then asked her parents if the two of them could walk to the house, and they agreed.  They lived about six blocks away from the office.  "Remember to be careful crossing the street," Emily Granger warned.  "There's no stop signs for cross traffic on Forty-third and Wimberley."

            With assurances that they would be careful, Hermione and Oliver bade them good-bye.  Oliver offered to carry her books.  She blushed, but accepted his offer.

            "What a gentleman," Emily commented when Oliver held the door open for Hermione as they left, even though his arms were full of books.  "I knew I would like him ever since we got that letter."

            "I almost think we should have told her about it," Martin said.

            "I think she liked being surprised," Emily replied.  "And I also think that boy is a keeper."

            Martin smiled at his wife.  "Remember, dear, our little girl is only thirteen."

            "And if I recall, we were seven when you said you were going to marry me."

            "That was on the playground in second grade, Emily.  You then proceeded to scream and throw gravel at me."

            Emily grinned broadly.  "You held true to your declaration, though."

            Martin laughed and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.  "Yes, I guess I did."

            "Knock-knock."

            Hermione laughed as Oliver started what had to be the tenth knock-knock joke in two minutes.  The two of them were about a block away from the office, and passing the time by telling jokes.  "Who's there?" she asked when her laughter subsided.

            "Interrupting cow," he responded.

            "Interrupti-"

            "Moo."

            By now, she was laughing so hard she was nearly in tears.  "Where do you come up with these?" she asked after regaining moderate control of herself.

            Oliver shrugged.  "Random places.  How many astronomers does it take to change a light bulb?"

            "I don't know.  How many?"

            "None.  Astronomers aren't afraid of the dark."

            "Oliver Wood, I think you are a few violins short of an orchestra."

            "Perhaps, but I _do know that I am one cello short of a string quartet."_

            She stopped walking and looked at him.  Oliver halted as well, and said, "And a viola, and another violin, but… but let's not get into that."

            "Better make that an entire clarinet section."

            Oliver slapped his hand against his forehead and cried, "No, not the clarinets!  _Anything_ but the clarinets!"  He set her books down, then knelt on the sidewalk and took her hands.  "Take me instead!" 

She smiled and shook her head.  "Sometimes I worry about you, Wood."

            Oliver stood up.  "Sometimes I worry about me, too."

            For a few seconds, neither one of them spoke.  And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, they kissed.  It was a light brush, and their lips just barely touched, but it was still a kiss.  It was over almost as quickly as it had begun.  Oliver opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the sound of squelching tires as a large black van pulled a U-turn and came to a sudden stop on the road next to them.

            Thinking fast, Oliver stepped in front of Hermione and pulled out his wand.  Hermione had her wand out almost as quickly and peered over his shoulder so as to see what was going on.  She knew they weren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts, but it might be justifiable if it was in self-defense.

            The driver's side door opened, and a tall figure completely shrouded in a thick black cloak stepped out of it.  "Get in," it hissed.

            Oliver pointed his wand at the cloak and said some words.  A small blue fireball appeared at the end of his wand, and then shot toward their would-be captor.  Then, a gloved hand emerged from the cloak and stopped the fireball.  The hand then cast it back at Oliver, knocking the boy unconscious with his own spell.  It worked its effects on Hermione, too, and both of them fell.

            Their assailant knelt down next to them to make sure they were unconscious, then loaded them into the van and sped away.

A/N: Oooh, more suspense.  *shivers*  I hope you all remembered to laugh your heads off when Emily Granger made that comment about Oliver being a keeper… why, yes, as a matter of fact, he IS a Keeper!  (Sorry if I'm the only one that found that funny…  ^_^)  But anyway… I thought the Oliver and Hermione pairing would be interesting.  If it's already been done, I haven't been able to find out, but I _have been able to find a lot of stories where Oliver is paired with Percy (PERCY!), so I thought this would be an interesting new take.  And yes, I know this update was a bit longer in coming than past ones… between college apps and a final exam in calculus, it's been slow going.  I also posted a new story the other day… check it out if you'd like to read a cute little tale about the beginning of Hogwarts.  (hint hint, nudge nudge)_

One more quick thing.  In the last chapter, Arthur Weasley wasn't acting very Arthur Weasley-ish… he wasn't intending to be mean to Lucius or anything, it just kind of happened that way.  Besides, these two can't stand each other, and this story _is supposed to somewhat sypmathetic toward Lucius, after all.  Okay, I'm done now.  ^_^ _


	21. The Common Factor

~~ Chapter Twenty-One: The Common Factor ~~

            "I'm not George, he is!"

            Percy Weasley groaned and rolled his eyes at the twins.  The mail had just arrived via owl.  The first was for Ron from Harry, and the second was addressed to George.  Percy had said, "Here you go, George," and held the letter toward the twin standing to the left, only to hear the one on the left insist that the other was George.  Percy, on the other hand, was certain the one on the right was Fred.

            "Come on, you two," Percy said.  "I'm not in the mood for twin switch."

            "Neither are we!" said the twin on the right.  "Give me my letter!"

            "The letter's addressed to George, _Fred," Percy replied, holding it to the twin on the left._

            "I'm Fred!" insisted the left twin.

            "I'm sure you are, George," Percy said dryly.  "Now take the letter."

            The twins groaned.  "You're no fun," said the left twin, who was indeed George, as he took the letter.

            Percy turned his attention away from the twins and to the next letter.  It was addressed to him.  His first reaction was that it was from Penelope, but that was completely illogical because Penelope was at the Burrow with them.  He looked at the return address, and his brow wrinkled with confusion.  "What the…"

            "What?" the twins asked in unison.

            "This letter," Percy said.  "It's from Abby Wood."

            "Isn't that Oliver's mother?" inquired George.  "Why would she be writing to _you?"_

            Percy was wondering the same thing, but instead of voicing his agreement, he opened the letter to find out the answer to the question.  He began reading.  Suddenly, he stopped, and that letter and the ones that still remained in his hands fluttered to the floor.  He stumbled backwards, then found the wall with his hand for support.  "Oliver's missing," he said.  "He went to visit Hermione two days ago.  He sent an owl when he got to Carlisle, and the Woods haven't heard from him since."

            "Maybe he just forgot to write," George suggested halfheartedly, even though he knew it wasn't possible.

            Percy shook his head.  "Not Oliver Wood.  Something could be wrong.  We should write to the Grangers.  Ron!"

            A few seconds later, Ron poked his head into the room.  "What?" he asked.

            "What's Hermione's address?"

            "Why?"

            "I just got a letter from Mrs. Wood," Percy said.  "Oliver went to visit the Grangers two days ago, and they haven't heard from him since he arrived at Carlisle.  It's not like Oliver to not write, and they're worried."

            "I'm sure he's fine," Ron said with an undertone of irritation in his voice.  He knew about Oliver and Hemione's forming relationship, and he couldn't help but feel jealous.  "Wondrous Woody can take care of himself."

            "Just give me her address," demanded an exasperated Percy.

            Fred bent over and picked up the letter from Mrs. Wood.  His eyes skimmed over the rest of the page, and he said, "Hey, Bighead Boy, maybe if you had taken the time to read the rest of this letter, you would have noticed that Mrs. Wood has _already written to the Grangers.  Hermione's missing, too."_

            Ron's face went white.  Percy, almost unable to believe what he just heard, stammered, "We've got to find them."

            "But how?" asked George, unable to hide his concern as well.

            Percy had an ability to remain levelheaded in situations such as this, and although he was deeply upset by this event, his rationality never left him.  "Ron, you write to Harry and let him know what's going on," he instructed.  "Fred and George, make sure he does.  And while you're at it, ask Penny to write to Mrs. Wood and tell her what actions we're taking."

            "What are _you going to do, Percy?" asked Fred._

            Percy took a deep breath, then answered, "I'll go to the Ministry of Magic."

            Slowly, painfully, Oliver Wood's consciousness returned to him, and he opened his eyes.  His vision was blurred at first, but when it came into focus, he saw that he was lying on the hard stone floor of a dark room that appeared to be a dungeon cell.  He tried to move his hands, but they were bound behind his back with some sort of cord.

            Then, he had a thought: Hermione.  He tried to speak, but there was a gag over his mouth, and the best he could come up with was a muffled grunt.  It was enough, though; in response, he heard a soft moan come from a few feet away.

            He turned his head in the direction the sound had come from and saw Hermione.  She was sitting up, leaning against the wall of the dungeon.  There was a large cut above her right eye and her matted hair hung in clumps around her dirty face.  Her right eye was closed, probably owing to the swelling around the cut, but her left eye was about halfway open.  She was wearing a gag as well.

            Oliver struggled to a sitting position and pushed himself over to her with his legs.  Once that task was accomplished, he had no idea what to do next.  His entire body ached, and he had no idea where they were or how long they had been there.  The only thing he did know was that somehow, they had to escape.

            Hermione closed her eye and rested her weary head on his shoulder.  He tried to say, "Are you all right?", but it came out as, "Mm hmf hm hmh?"

            Suddenly, Hermione jerked her head up, and both her eyes opened as wide as they could.  "Mmf hmm hmf hm hmm!" she said excitedly.

            He blinked and shook his head, indicating that he wasn't following her.

            "Mphf," Hermione said, tossing her head and pushing against the floor with her feet.  Her back was supported by the wall, and she slowly inched upwards until she was standing.  She turned around so her back was facing him.  Like him, her hands were tied behind her back at the wrist with what appeared to be mere rope.  Her fingers were free, and it was by using her fingers that she slid the gag off his mouth.

            "Thanks," Oliver said, taking in a deep breath of air.  "Your turn."

            She knelt down, and his fingers found her gag and removed it.  "Thank you," she said when the hateful thing was off.  "I thought we were going to suffocate."

            "Where are we?" he asked, looking around the cell.

            "I don't know," she replied, "but we have to get out."

            "But how?" he wondered.  "We're wandless."

            "Let's take this one step at a time," Hermione suggested.  "Are your wrists tied with rope?"

            "I think so," he said.  "It feels like it."

            "Look for a rough spot on the wall," she said.  "Perhaps if we rub it against the wall, it will weaken the ropes enough for us to break through them."

            Her ability to stay levelheaded amazed him.  He soon found a rough spot and began rubbing.  She did, too.  "Is it working?" he asked.

            "Not like I'd hoped," she grumbled.  "Do you have any ideas?"

            "Keep trying," he said.  "Maybe it just needs more time."

            They continued to rub their wrists against the wall in hopes to weaken the ropes.  Soon, Oliver began to feel the tension lessen, and before long, he was able to break free.  "They're off!" he announced, holding his hands up.

            "Hooray," Hermione said.  "Can you help me?"

            "No problem."  He rushed over to her and slid the ropes off her wrists.  Once her arms were free, they hugged each other.  "Let's figure out how to get out of here," he said.

            She nodded.  "Sounds good to me."

            There was only one obvious way in or out of the cell, and that was the main door.  In the door was a small barred window.  Oliver looked through it in hopes to discern something more about their location.  Suddenly, he drew back in horror.  "What is it?" Hermione whispered, walking over to him.

            Oliver couldn't speak.  All he could do was nod his head toward the door.

            Hermione stood on the balls of her feet and peered out the window.  She saw at once what had startled Oliver – a giant leopard, five feet tall at the shoulder and more than twelve feet long from the end of its nose to the tip of its tail, was walking down the corridor just outside of the door.  It moved gracefully, making no sound as it walked along the stone floor.  She dared to watch it for a few more seconds, and then it rounded a corner and was gone.

            She pulled away from the door and looked at her companion.  Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it was going to explode.  Oliver's eyes were wide with worry.  "Was that… the Nundu?" he asked.

            "It had to have been," she said.  "I've read about them, and they're supposed to be about that size."  A shiver ran down her spine.  She never imagined that a creature as deadly as a Nundu would be so beautiful.  If she and Oliver escaped, they would be among the handful of people throughout history that had seen one and lived to tell about it – the operative word in that thought being _if._

            A Nundu patrolling the corridor changed everything.  Escape, which seemed unlikely before, was nearly hopeless now.  "Do you think it's the same Nundu that killed everyone?" Oliver asked.

            Hermione couldn't help rolling her eyes a little.  "Oliver," she said, "how many Nundus do you think are _in the United Kingdom at any given moment?"_

            "Oh, true."  He paused in thought for a moment, then spoke again.  "I don't understand," he said.  "Why Malfoy Manor?  Why Fudge?  Why Su Li?  Why the Terringers?  Why _us?  What's the connection?"_

            Hermione gasped, and her eyes flew open as the truth hit her.  "That's it!" she cried.  "Why didn't I see it before?"

            Percy Weasley was walking as fast as he could toward his father's office at the Ministry of Magic when he passed a person he swore he recognized.  He halted his movement and looked back at the person, an elderly woman wearing robes of emerald green.  "Professor Dumbledore?" he asked.

            Minerva Dumbledore stopped walking and looked at him.  "Mr. Weasley?" she said, equally surprised.  "How did you…"

            "Know your name isn't McGonagall anymore?" he asked, smiling in spite of the bad news he came here to report.  "My father told me.  Congratulations."

            "Thank you.  What are you doing here?"

            "Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger are missing," Percy answered.  "Oliver went to visit her and her parents in Carlisle two days ago, and no one has seen or heard from them since."

            Minerva's hand flew to the base of her neck, and she gasped.  "No!"

            "Is there anything the Ministry can do?"

            "There had better be," she said.  "Come.  I will take you to Professor Dumbledore and Minister Chang immediately."

            "This is horrible."

            Unable to hold still, Eko Chang stood up, walked across his office, walked back to his chair, sat down, leaned back, and stood up again.  "This is horrible," the Minister of Magic repeated.  "First the Malfoys, then Fudge, then Su Li, then Professor Terringer's parents, and now Wood and Granger."  

He walked over to the wall and slammed his fist against it.  Percy, Minerva, and Dumbledore, the room's three other occupants, jumped in surprise at the loud sound.  Chang looked at the wall.  He had hit it so hard that it left a dent.  The Minister of Magic looked at his hand next.  It was red and throbbing.  He swore as the pain registered in his overcrowded mind, then turned around.  His eyes were wild with agony and frustration.  "Is there a pattern?" he almost shouted.  "And if so, what is it?"

            "Su Li's death was random," said Percy.  "She just happened to be in the same place as the Nundu."

            "And the Nundu," said Chang, "just _happened to be in the vicinity of Hogwarts."_

            "But what about Jonathon and Rebecca Terringer?" inquired Minerva.  "Alina's parents are Muggles, and Alina didn't even go to Hogwarts."

            "Neither did Fudge," said Chang, "and he's dead."

            "Cornelius Fudge was the Minister of Magic," Minerva said.

            "Alina Terringer may not have _gone to Hogwarts," said Percy, "but she teaches there.  Is there a connection to the school?"_

            "If there is," responded Chang, "then that doesn't explain why Fudge is dead."

            "Then the common factor isn't Hogwarts," Percy concluded.

            "But if Hogwarts isn't the common factor," asked Minerva, "then what is?"

            "Malfoy!" Dumbledore suddenly shouted, speaking for the first time during the course of the informal meeting.  "Lucius Malfoy is the common factor!"

            Three pairs of eyes looked at the Hogwarts headmaster, and three faces had looks of surprise and confusion on them.  "What do you mean, Albus?" his wife asked.

            "Every one of the victims has a connection to Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore explained.  "The attack on Malfoy Manor is obvious.  Malfoy had incredible influence on Fudge.  The Hogwarts student could just as easily have been Draco Malfoy or someone close to him.  When Alina Terringer's parents were killed, she and Lucius were romantically involved.  Malfoy _is the common factor, and the focal point of all these antagonistic acts."_

            "How do Oliver and Hermione link into it?" asked Percy.

            "They're Draco's friends, and two of Professor Terringer's star students," Minerva realized.

            Dumbledore nodded.  "Exactly."

            Almost thirty seconds of silence was broken by the voice of Eko Chang.  "I'm glad we've established that connection," he said, "but that still doesn't tell us where Wood and Granger are."

            "Well, I can give you one place to start looking," said Dumbledore.

            "Where?"

            "Loch Lomond."

A/N: Tomorrow marks the start of Christmas break, and we all know what that means… spare time, which means… updates!  Many updates!  As many as I can crank out between December 21st and January 2nd, that is.  ^_^  It's quite possible that I could finish it in that time span, but I can't make any promises.  This is a huge story; the end of this chapter marked eighty-six pages on my computer.  When it's finished, it should be anywhere between one hundred twenty and one hundred fifty pages, possibly even more.  I do not only go off on tangents, but sines and cosecants as well.  (Sorry, sorry, stupid math joke… saw the opportunity and couldn't resist!  ^_^)  Anyhoo… Dumbledore's caught on to the connection, Hermione and Oliver are trapped in a castle with a Nundu, and Eko Chang is going to have to find a picture or something to cover up the dent he left in the wall.  *dramatic chord*  Keep your eyes open for the next installment in this story of fate, magic, honor, adventure, sacrifice, true love, and chocolate chip cookie dough.  Thanks for reading and good night.


	22. Revelations

~~ Chapter Twenty-Two: Revelations ~~

            Alina Terringer stood on a walkway of the castle that housed Skyliner Wizarding Academy deep in the mountains of Switzerland.  The cold wind of late October whipped around her as she gazed into the distance.  She barely registered the frigid temperature, though.  Her mind was focused on other things.

            She almost didn't hear the sound of approaching footsteps over the howl of the wind, but sure enough, someone was coming.  She turned her head in the direction they were coming from, and gasped as she recognized the person.  "Lucius?  What are you doing here?"

            "I had to see you," he said, taking her in his arms.  "I'm so sorry for what happened.  Please, come back.  You belong at Hogwarts.  Don't leave us."

            "Did they find the Nundu?" she asked.

            "The Nundu is gone," Lucius said.  "We're safe now."

            "Is it dead?  Will it return?"

            "It is dead."  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long white tooth on a leather cord.  "Here's the proof."

            Alina took the tooth from him.  It was a good four inches long, and sharp as the blade of a knife.  She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks and started to freeze in the cold air.  "Finally, it's over."

            "Yes, it's over," he said.  "Will you come back?  We need you."  He took her face in his hands and smoothed away the tears.  "_I need you, and I love you."_

            "I don't belong in your world, Lucius," she told him.  "We're too different.  Your lineage, your creed… I would never be accepted."

            "Yes, you will," he said.  "I promise."  He leaned forward and kissed her quickly.  "Alina, come back."

            He kissed her again, this time longer and with more intensity.  The wind whipped their clothing and hair all around them, and they had to stop several times to get hair out of their faces.  This eventually got them laughing.  "Maybe we should go inside," she suggested, running her fingers through his shoulder-length blonde hair.

            He kissed her on the cheek.  "Good idea."

            But as they turned to go inside, they found themselves face to face with a giant leopard.  She knew at once what it was: a Nundu.  The Nundu let out a vicious snarl, and its huge paw swung at them.  It made contact with Lucius first, slicing his chest open.  "No!" Alina cried, dropping to her knees and pulling his dying body close to her.  "Lucius, no!"

            His grey eyes gazed at her for a moment, and then went blank as all life left him.  She looked up, just in time to see the Nundu bring its claws down on her.

            "Professor!  Professor Terringer, wake up!"

            Alina could feel someone shaking her, and she opened her eyes.  There was no Nundu standing above her.  It was the headmistress of Skyliner, Lydia Vierra, and she was in her bedroom at the Swiss wizarding school.  "It was a dream," the headmistress told her.  "It was just a dream."

            "I'm sorry, Professor Vierra," Alina apologized, rubbing at her eyes to keep the Skyliner headmistress from seeing her tears.  "It's just…"

            "What?" inquired Vierra.

            "Forget it," Alina said, sitting up in her bed.  She hugged her knees close to her body, and rested her head on top of them.  "It doesn't matter.  It was just a dream.  It's all right now."

            "You were screaming," Vierra said, "and I don't think it _is all right."  She paused, then spoke again.  "Who is he?"_

            "Who?" Alina asked, confused.

            "The man whose name you cried," Vierra explained.  "Someone special to you?"

            Alina knew she was talking about Lucius.  She closed her eyes to fight back the forming tears.  This was the fifth straight night she'd had the same dream, down to every last detail, and every time, she thought it was really happening.  "No," she said, even though she knew it was obvious that she was lying.

            "You miss him," the Skyliner headmistress said.  She closed her eyes and tilted her head back.  "You worry about his safety.  You love him, but he has hurt you deeply."  She opened her eyes and looked at Alina.  "Am I right?"

            "I thought you weren't allowed to do that on school grounds," Alina said, referring to Vierra's ability to perceive the feelings of others.

            "Who says I'm using magic?" Vierra asked.  "Your thoughts are obvious, Professor.  A Muggle could sense them.  Now tell me his name, or I _will break the rules and read your thoughts."_

            Alina sighed sadly.  "His name is Lucius Malfoy."

            "_The Lucius Malfoy?" Vierra said.  "The one whose family was slaughtered two months ago?"_

            "Yes."  She lifted her head and looked at the ceiling.  "I love him, Professor Vierra, but… but I can't be with him.  It wouldn't be right."

            "And why not?"

            "For the simple reason that he's from a family of wizards that dates back to the Roman Empire and I'm from a family of Muggles that dates back to the Roman Empire," she replied.  "People like me are not accepted in his world."  She then told the headmistress about the conversation she and Minerva Dumbledore overheard between Lucius and Arthur Weasley.

            "Maybe it's not what it looks like," Vierra suggested.  "Maybe you acted too hastily."

            "Or maybe I'm just a fool for thinking Lucius Malfoy could ever love me."

            Vierra hesitated before responding.  The Malfoy family was well known throughout the entire wizarding world, and from what she had seen and heard about them, they weren't the type that one wanted to get involved with if one could help it.  How kind, friendly, respectable Alina Terringer could ever fall in love with the disagreeable, deceitful Lucius Malfoy was beyond her comprehension, and she told her so.

            "You don't understand," Alina said.  "You don't know him.  He's not like that anymore.  He's changed."

            "Then why are you here and not with him?"

            She closed her eyes, and a silent tear trickled down her cheek.  "I… I don't know."

            Severus Snape let out a long sigh of annoyance and looked at Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy.  "How long has he been in there?" Snape asked.

            "Three days," Harry answered.  "Straight."

            "He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, and he doesn't talk to us," Draco added.  "That's why we owled you.  You're the only one that can get him to snap out of it."

            Snape sighed again and looked at the large door that led into Lucius Malfoy's bedchambers.  "Lucius, open the door," he said.  "We have to talk."

            Lucius didn't respond.

            "I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this," Snape said, mostly to himself, and reached for his wand.  He pointed it at the door handle and said, "Alohomora."

            Nothing happened.

            "We've tried that," Harry said.  "It's charmed."

            Snape swore under his breath, put his hand on the door handle, and gave it a shake.  "Lucius Antellius Malfoy, if you do not open this door, I will rip it off its hinges, and don't think I won't!"

            "I never knew your father's middle name was Antellius," Harry whispered to Draco.

            Draco shook his head.  "Neither did I."

            "What's _your middle name?"_

            "Demerius," Draco answered with a grimace.  He hated his middle name.  "Yours?"

            "James."

            "Don't make me do this, Lucius," Snape said to the door.  There was still no response from Lucius.  Snape looked at Harry and Draco.  "Stand back, boys."

            They did as they were told.  Snape pointed his wand at the door, shouted some magic words, and pulled his hand back.  The door was ripped from the wall.

            When the dust and debris settled, Snape put his wand away and stepped inside the room.  "Lucius?" he said.  "Where are you?"

            A glass door led out to a small balcony.  Snape saw Lucius sitting down with his back against the railing, with his eyes toward the sky.  He was as still as a statue.  "Come on, Lucius," Snape said, walking out onto the balcony.  "Snap out of it.  What's wrong with you?"

            For almost a minute, Lucius didn't even blink.  Finally, his weary voice said, "What have I done, Severus?  What have I done?"

            "What have you done?" Snape asked.  "I'll tell you what you've done.  You had everything going for you and you let one little mistake ruin it all."

            Lucius closed his eyes.  "I love her, Severus."

            "I know you do, and she loves you.   Why won't you tell her?"

            He opened his eyes and dropped his gaze to the floor.  "I don't know how."

            "Maybe you do, and you're just afraid."

            Lucius looked up at Snape and glared at him.  "You're right, I _am afraid," he snapped.  "Afraid of how the wizarding world would react if they knew I fell in love with a Muggle-born."_

            Snape sighed, closed his eyes, and slowly nodded his head.  "That," he said, "is why you lost her."

            Lucius stood up, placed his hands on the railing, and looked at the garden below.  "I know."

            Snape moved so he was standing next to his friend and leaned against the railing for support.  "So what are you going to do?" he asked.

            Lucius smiled for the first time in two weeks.  "Go to Switzerland, of course."

            "And what are you going to do once you get there?"

            "I'm not quite sure," he admitted, "but I'm sure something will come to me."

            Suddenly, Harry and Draco came running toward them.  Harry had a piece of paper in his hand, and both boys looked frantic.  "Father!  Professor Snape!  Something terrible has happened!" said Draco.

            "What?" Snape and Lucius asked in unison.

            Harry handed Snape the letter.  "I just got this," he said.  "It's from Ron.  Oliver and Hermione are missing."

            A worried look crossed Snape's face as he read the letter.  "Oh, no…"

            "It makes sense, Minerva," Albus Dumbledore said to his wife as the two of them returned to the apartment provided to them by the Ministry of Magic to gather the things they would need for their journey.  "Loch Lomond was where Fudge's body was found."

            "But, Albus," Minerva replied, "do you think it could be a trap?"

            They reached the entrance to the apartment.  Dumbledore placed his hand on the doorknob and looked at her.  "I _know it's a trap."_

            He opened the door, and the two of them went inside.  "If you know it's a trap, then why are you walking right into it?" Minerva asked.  "That's probably just what they want!"

            "Of course it's what they want," Dumbledore said.  "They know we know it's a trap, and they know there's no way we'd walk right into a trap that we already knew was a trap, so that's what we're going to do.  We'll walk straight into their trap and take them by surprise."

            Minerva sighed and shook her head.  "I don't understand your logic sometimes."

            He drew her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.  "I love you, Minerva," he said.

            She rested her head on his chest and ran her fingers through his long white hair.  "I love you, too, Albus, but your idea is crazy."

            "Of course it's crazy.  That's why it's going to work."

            That drew a smile out of her.  "Whatever you say."

            "You don't believe me, do you?"

            The smile vanished.  She pulled away from him and looked deep into his blue eyes.  "Albus Dumbledore, I have _never doubted you, __ever, and I am __not going to start now," she said sternly.  "If you think for one second that I will not support any decision you make, you are seriously mistaken.  Do __not question my loyalty to you ever again."_

            Dumbledore was taken aback.  He hadn't expected such a harsh rebuke.  "I'm sorry, Minerva.  I didn't mean it like that."

            She closed her eyes and nodded.  A tear slowly trickled down her cheek.  "I know."

            He leaned forward and kissed the tear away.  His next kiss was on her mouth, and she returned it with so much intensity that it took his breath away.

"Oliver, do you think we're going to die?"

            Oliver Wood looked at Hermione Granger and nodded.  "Yes."

            Hermione sighed.  "I thought so."

            "What about you?" Oliver asked.  "Do you think we have a chance?"

            She shook her head.  "Not a snowball's chance in Hell."

A/N: Yeah, this one took a little longer than past updates… bear with me though; I'm suffering from writer's block and a head cold.  *sniff*  We should start to see some action in the next chapter, so keep your eyes open.


	23. A Snowball's Chance

A/N: Yeah!  My computer LIVES!!!  It's back!  And I didn't lose a thing!  Woo hoo!  *dances around*  This chapter is full of action for all you action buffs out there, and it's long, too.  Most of the chapters are four or five pages long on my computer; this one is nine.  Bill Weasley makes an appearance, and we get to meet Oliver Wood's father, Alan.  Yay.  Anyway, our heroes battle four creatures, Bill and Eko Chang make stupid puns (and I mean _really stupid – you'll see), and Albus Dumbledore busts out the sword of Godric Gryffindor.  Hoo ha!  Thanks for being patient while my computer was gone.  I started on Chapter 24 a few days ago, and it shouldn't be too long before it's finished.  Oh, and I also need to know if you guys want a happy or tragic ending.  I can go either way, but I need to know soon.  Anyway, on with the show._

~~ Chapter Twenty-Three: A Snowball's Chance ~~

            "There it is," Albus Dumbledore whispered to the five people with him as they watch the sun rise over the eastern horizon from their hiding place in a patch of bushes not far from a castle on the banks of Loch Lomond.  "The castle Fudge was found in."

            His five companions, Bill Weasley, Remus Lupin, Minerva Dumbledore, Alan Wood, and Eko Chang, did not find it necessary to make any response, for they were all thinking the same thing.  They had no idea what they were getting themselves in to.  For all they knew, they could be marching to their deaths.  They didn't even know if Oliver and Hermione were _in that castle.  It was the only lead they had, though, and who knew?  They might get lucky._

            Finally, Bill Weasley spoke.  "He was _found there," he said, "but was he __killed there as well?"_

            Dumbledore hadn't even thought of that.  "I don't know," he said.  "It's possible.  After all, whoever we're dealing with is only leaving the clues they _want us to find."  He took a deep breath of air, then let it out slowly.  "Is everyone ready?"_

            Five heads nodded.

            "All right."  He looked at Minerva.  "You know what to do."

            She nodded and closed her eyes.  Her body shape shifted into her Animagus form.  Dumbledore gave a nod, and the cat left the bushes and began sneaking toward the castle.

            Wood shivered.  "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing someone do that," he commented.

            "It _does take getting used to," Dumbledore admitted, "and it's not a pretty picture when a person doesn't transform all the way.  Let's not get into that, though."_

            Lupin shook his head.  "No, let's not."

            Hermione Granger thought she was dreaming when she heard the creak of door hinges opening, but when she opened her eyes, she saw that the door to their cell had indeed been opened.  She sat up and shook the body lying next to her.  "Oliver!" she said.  "Oliver, wake up!"

            Oliver Wood stirred, then lifted his head and opened one eye.  "What is it?" he asked.

            "The door!" Hermione said.  "It's open!"

            Instantly, Oliver was alert.  "What?" he asked.

            She pointed at the door.  "Look!"

            Suddenly, someone was standing in the doorway – a man wearing a long black cloak.  The two teens were almost sure it was their captor, and when he spoke, they recognized his voice and their suspicions were confirmed.  "Good morning," he said, but not kindly.

            "Who are you?" Oliver demanded.

            "I don't have time for details," he replied.  "Let me just briefly describe to you what is going to happen.  Right now, there is a group of people outside the castle that are going to try to rescue you.  I am certain that old fool Albus Dumbledore is among them.  Anyway, when they get to you, they'll probably ask about me.  Tell them that I had some urgent business to attend to in London and am planning to leave the country after that.  The Nundu is coming with me."

            He turned around and started to leave.  "Wait!" Hermione said, and he stopped.  "You're letting us go?"

            "Oh no, I am not _letting you go," he said.  "I am __allowing you to be rescued.  There's a big difference."_

            "But why?" Oliver asked.

            "Do you really think I care about what happens to you?" the man said.  "You're meaningless, both of you.  It's a pity Dumbledore hasn't realized this.  He is going to be so preoccupied with rescuing you two that he's going to completely overlook the person who _really matters."_

            "Lucius Malfoy," Hermione said.

            "Good job.  You're a clever girl.  But I have already wasted enough time with you two, so good-bye, and good luck."

            "But you said you're allowing us to be rescued," Oliver said.

            "I did," he confirmed.  "I never said I was going to make it easy, though.  Let's just say that I've left you some… surprises."

            Minerva Dumbledore approached the castle with caution.  If Albus was right, and this _was a trap, then whoever was behind it must be suspecting something.  After all, anyone bold enough to challenge Albus Dumbledore was not only daring, but smart as well.  They had to know that Dumbledore wouldn't fall for a trap that was completely obvious, and since he knew that, she had to assume that their enemy knew that he knew, too._

            Minerva knew something was up when she saw that the castle's main door was open just wide enough for a cat to squeeze through.  She wasn't stupid enough to fall for that trick, though, and she continued to search around the castle for another entrance.  On the east wall, she saw what she was looking for: a window slit within jumping distance.  As she prepared to leap up, though, she had a thought.  They knew their enemy was smart.  Perhaps he had left the door open slightly so she would know it was too easy and look for an alternate entrance.  Going through the window was probably just what he wanted her to do.  She turned around and walked back toward the main entrance.

            Upon entering the castle's courtyard, her keen feline eyesight and acute hearing scanned the area for any sign of danger.  There was none.  It was almost too quiet, but so far, everything seemed all right.  It was probably safe to proceed.  She transformed back into her human form, then Apparated to the others.

            "Well?" Lupin asked when she returned to them.

            "There was nothing there that led me to believe there is any danger," she said.  "I got as far as the courtyard."

            "Then that's where we'll go," said Dumbledore.

            "Apparators are standing by," Bill said with a grin.

            The other five groaned at Bill's lame joke.  "Only you could come up with a pun at a time like this, Bill," commented Wood.

            Bill smiled and shrugged.

            "Well, if all our Apparators are ready," Chang said, "then let's get on with the Apparation."

            Lupin looked at the Minister of Magic and narrowed his eyes.  "Don't _you start."_

            Once everyone was done making stupid puns, the six wizards Apparated into the courtyard.  "Where to now, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked, looking around the courtyard.

            "I don't know," his wife answered.  "It's a big castle."

            "We'd better split up, then," Dumbledore suggested.  "We can cover more ground in less time that way."

            Lupin looked at Wood.  "I'm with you, Wood."

            "Come on, Weasley," Chang said.  "You and I can continue with the Apparation."

            "Or at least the puns surrounding it," Bill replied, smiling broadly.

            Minerva looked at Dumbledore.  "Then it looks like you're stuck with me, Albus."

            "'Stuck' is not the word I would choose, my dear," Dumbledore replied.  He smiled at her, then addressed the group as a whole.  "Meet back here in fifteen minutes."

            "All right, then," Bill said.  "Apparation Rescue Oliver and Hermione has begun."

            Lupin groaned.  "If he makes one more stupid Apparation pun, I'm out of here."

            Hermione and Oliver stared at the open door in front of them for almost a full minute without blinking.  "Did he really just walk off and leave that door open?" Oliver asked, breaking the still silence that had descended upon them.

            Hermione nodded.  "Yes, I think so."

            "That's not right.  It's too easy."

            "You heard him, Oliver.  He's allowing us to be rescued."

            "Yes, but he also said he's not going to make it easy.  I think the door is a distraction."

            She hadn't thought of that.  That was a good point.  "Then what are we supposed to do?" she asked.  "Should we do the obvious because he expects us to do the obvious, and therefore knows we wouldn't?"

            Oliver took a deep breath, then shrugged.  "All right."

            The two of them walked out of the cell and into the hall.  "It looks like the coast is clear," Hermione said, glancing down the corridor to the left.

            Oliver put his hand on her arm.  "Not exactly," he said, turning her around.

            Hermione's eyes flew open in shock as she found herself looking at a mountain troll.

            Remus Lupin and Alan Wood were walking along the allure on the wall built against the lake when Lupin suddenly halted and motioned for Wood to do the same.  "What is it?" Wood asked, glancing from side to side to see if anything was approaching.

            "I heard something," Lupin answered.  His eyes drifted over to the lake.  "It's coming from over there."

            The two wizards walked over to the edge of the wall and looked at the lake below.  The lake was still and smooth as glass.  "Everything looks fine, Professor," Wood said.

            All of a sudden, a low growl was heard, and something rose from the water.  It was a large, dinosaur-like creature, with a long neck and a mouth full of sharp teeth.  Lupin recognized the creature immediately.  It was a Kelpie, and quite a large one at that.  Lupin remembered from his studies that the world's largest Kelpie was the Loch Ness Monster, but this one couldn't be far behind.

            Lupin pulled out his wand.  Wood did the same thing and said, "I take that back."

            "Look at this."  Bill Weasley ran his fingers over a now-familiar pattern of slash marks on the inside of a door in a room adjacent to the courtyard.  The four parallel marks were two inches apart and about an inch deep.  "Something was pretty angry with this door."

            "I'd bet it was the Nundu," Eko Chang said, touching the marks for himself.

            "I think you're right."  Bill pulled his hand away and took a few steps back to view the marks from farther away.  "But why a _door?"_

            Chang shrugged.  "So whoever is behind all this lets us know he was here?"

            "Obviously, but why?  What is the reason behind this?"

            "We're not dealing with a rational mind," Chang said.  "Reason cannot be taken into consideration."

            Just then, they heard a snarl come from behind them.  "Look out!" Bill cried, and pulled the Minister of Magic away from the door just before a Manticore lunged at it.

            "I know that scream," Minerva Dumbledore said when the sound of a girl's scream hit the eardrums of Albus and herself as they walked through the castle's dungeon.  "It's Miss Granger."

            "They're not far," Dumbledore said.  "Hurry!"

            They began walking faster, and came to a corner.  Upon rounding the corner, though, they found themselves facing not Hermione Granger and Oliver Wood, but a large, rhinoceros-like creature known as an Erumpent.  Upon seeing the dangerous animal, they froze in place.  "Don't move," Dumbledore whispered.

            "What are we going to do?" Minerva whispered back as the Erumpent let out a low growl.

            Having never battled an Erumpent before, he wasn't quite sure.  His old Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor from his days as a Hogwarts student, Armando Dippet, talked about Erumpents in class one day, and he still remembered the important details from the lecture almost a hundred and thirty years later.  "The Erumpent's horn can pierce almost anything and contains an explosive fluid that destroys anything it hits," Dippet had said.  "Males frequently blow each other up during mating season, and because of this, the species is endangered."  That gave him an idea.

            "Minerva, I have an idea, but it might sound crazy," he said, keeping his voice as low as possible.  A loud thud echoed through the halls of the dungeon as the Erumpent took a step forward.

            "So?"  His ideas rarely made sense at face value, and she had come to expect this.

            That got him to smile momentarily before continuing.  "If I conjure up an invisible wall, and we get it to run into it, that should destroy it."

            "And what's the catch?"

            "Let's just say watch out for falling rubble."

            Minerva couldn't think of a better idea, so she agreed.  "All right."

            As quick as a flash, Dumbledore pulled out his wand and pointed it at the floor in front of them and shouted something.  The air shimmered as the magic barrier appeared.  All the sudden movement startled the Erumpent, and it charged.  Albus and Minerva grabbed onto each other's hands and started running away from the beast. 

A loud bang was heard as the Erumpent crashed into the invisible wall, and it sent shock waves up and down the corridor.  "Get down!" Dumbledore shouted, putting himself between Minerva and the blast.  Both of them tumbled to the floor as the walls around them exploded.

            When the debris settled, Minerva saw that a piece of rock had hit Dumbledore in the temple, and he was bleeding profusely.  "Albus, you're hurt," she said as she brushed away some of his snowy white hair from the cut.

            "I'll be fine," he insisted, and slowly rose to his feet.  He gave Minerva his hand and helped her up as well.  "Look, we killed the Erumpent."

            _Go us, she thought.  "And now there's a huge pile of rocks blocking our path," she said.  "We'll have to backtrack and find another way to Miss Granger and Mr. Wood."_

            "Then come," Dumbledore said.  "We've not a moment to lose."

            Alan Wood stole a glance at Remus Lupin out of the corner of his eye.  "What do we do, Professor?" he asked in a low voice.  The Kelpie's eyes never left them, and it slowly advanced toward the two wizards.

            "Get off the allure," Lupin said.  "They can't leave water."

            Suddenly, the Kelpie let out a sound that sounded like a combination of a woman screaming and a lion roaring and lunged forward at them.  "Jump!" Lupin said, grabbing onto Wood's arm and jumping off the allure.  The Kelpie's jaws narrowly missed them.

            Wood and Lupin landed hard on the ground after falling some twenty feet.  Lupin struggled to his feet, surprised that he hadn't broken anything.  The Kelpie, angry that it had missed its prey, roared again.  "We should have known better," Lupin grumbled, watching the Kelpie carefully.  "It was too easy to get in.  I can't believe we didn't see it."  He glanced at Wood, who was having trouble standing.  "Are you all right?"

            "Fine," Wood said through clenched teeth.  He took a step forward, then let out a cry of pain.  He clutched at his left ankle and grimaced.  "I think it's sprained."

            The Kelpie wasn't going to give up that easily.  It spotted the two wizards, and then did something neither one of them expected: charged through the wall.  The stones holding up the ancient structure crumbled under the giant creature's weight, and the snapping jaws at the end of its long neck were after them again.

            "Come on!" Lupin said.  He grabbed onto Wood to help him walk as they attempted to escape from the Kelpie again.  This time, though, they were too slow, and the Kelpie's jaws snapped down on the end of Lupin's robe.

            "Professor!" Wood shouted as the Kelpie hoisted Hogwarts's Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor into the air.

            "Do something!" Lupin said, struggling to break free.

            Wood pulled out his wand and pointed it at the Kelpie.  He shouted a magic word, and several green fireballs formed at his wand's end, then shot toward the creature.  The fireballs hit it in the mouth, and it let out a cry of pain and surprise.  Lupin fell from its jaws into the lake.  He was free, but now the Kelpie was angrier than ever.

            Bill Weasley and Eko Chang had their wands pointed at the Manticore as the fearsome beast with the head of a man, body of a lion, and tail of a scorpion snarled at the door and then turned toward its head toward its intended target.  Both were accomplished wizards, and Chang was one of the finest in the world at that, but neither one had experience in battling creatures.  On top of that, this wasn't just any creature – it was a Manticore, one of the most dangerous monsters in existence.  It was nothing compared to what had left its marks on the door, but even though it wasn't a Nundu, it could still kill both of them easily.

            "Got a plan, sir?" Bill asked.

            He didn't, but Chang quickly thought of one.  "I'll Apparate around the room and distract it, and you knock it out," the Minister of Magic said.  "Does that sound good?"

            Bill nodded.  "Sounds great."

            Chang vanished, and almost instantaneously appeared behind the Manticore.  "Over here!" he shouted, getting the creature's attention.

            The Manticore snarled and lashed out with its scorpion tail, but the deadly stinger at its tip found only air as Chang Apparated to another point in the room.  Its next lunge was also unsuccessful as the Minister of Magic vanished again and reappeared on top of the table in the corner.  "No, over here!"

            Bill pointed his wand at the Manticore and spoke a command, but the blue fireballs that left the end of his wand missed their target as the creature chased after Chang.  "This isn't working!" he shouted to his companion.  "I can't get a clear shot!"

            "We'll think of something!" Chang said, and Apparated to another point in the room.

            Bill knew Chang's Apparating would only distract the Manticore for so long, and he searched his mind for a possible solution.  He couldn't think of anything, and the creature was already starting to lose interest in Chang.  He wasn't about to start Apparating around the room like the other wizard was – he was nowhere near as skilled at the difficult spell as Chang was, and besides, that would do nothing but make the Manticore even more angry.

            All of a sudden, the door flew open, and Albus Dumbledore's voice said, "What's going on in here?"

            "Professor Dumbledore!" Bill said, surprised and delighted to see the Hogwarts headmaster.  He then noticed Hogwarts's deputy headmistress standing behind him, and said, "Professor Dumbledore!"

            "Hello, Mr. Weasley," the couple said in unison.

            "Glad you could join the fun!" Chang said, Apparating just before the Manticore's claws sliced through his flesh.

            "I can't get a clear shot at it," Bill said to Dumbledore.  "Minister Chang has to keep Apparating around the room to avoid being killed, and the Manticore is chasing after him and isn't in one place long enough for me to hit it."

            "I have an idea," Dumbledore said.  "Stand back."  He removed his outer robe, and both Bill's and Minerva's eyes grew wide with surprise as they saw what was hanging at his waist: the sword of Godric Gryffindor.  "I thought this might come in handy," he said, pulling the sword from its sheath.  Although it was well over a thousand years old, the sword was still in perfect condition and just as magical as ever.

            A beam of light found its way to the sword's blade, and the reflection caught the attention of the Manticore.  It lost all interest in Chang and turned its head toward Dumbledore.  A vicious snarl escaped its human-like lips, and it lunged at its new target.  It didn't get far, though, because Dumbledore brought the sword down and sliced off the creature's right paw.

            The Manticore howled in pain, and blood spurted from the wound.  Dumbledore took advantage of its shock and used the sharp blade of Gryffindor's sword to decapitate the creature and put it out of its misery.  "I don't like killing creatures," Dumbledore said, giving the sword a shake to get some of the blood off, "but desperate times call for desperate measures."

            "It was self-defense, Albus," Minerva said.  "Now hurry, we've got to find Miss Granger!"

            "Is she here?" Bill asked.

            "We think so," Dumbledore said.  "We were down in the dungeon and heard her scream before we ran into an Erumpent."

            "An Erumpent?" Chang repeated.  "And we got a Manticore… I wonder what Lupin and Wood are up against?"

            "Let's hope they've been luckier than us," said Dumbledore.  "Come, to the dungeons!"

            Remus Lupin and Alan Wood were not having near as much luck in defeating their creature as the other four had been.  While Bill Weasley, Eko Chang, and Albus and Minerva Dumbledore raced toward the dungeons to track down what they believed to be Hermione Granger, the two of them were faced with a very angry Kelpie.  It had been angry _before it charged through the wall and dropped its prey when a fireball hit it in the mouth.  Now it was nothing short of furious._

            "Thanks!" Lupin said when his head broke water, glad to be free of the Kelpie's jaws.

            "Don't mention it!" Wood called back, trying to think of something to do next.  Zapping the Kelpie seemed like a good idea at the time, but not so much anymore.  "What do we do now?"

            Lupin swam to the shore and climbed out of the lake.  "Try that spell again!" he suggested.  "I'll do it, too, and maybe it'll drive it back into the lake!"

            _Why not? Wood thought.  It wasn't a bad idea, and besides, it was the only one they had.  He sent another fireball flying at the Kelpie.  It howled and moved back a few feet.  "It's working!" he shouted._

            "Great!" Lupin said, sending a fireball of his own at the massive creature.  "Keep at it!"

            Oliver Wood grabbed onto Hermione Granger's hand and began pulling her away from the troll.  "Run!"

            She didn't need to be told twice.  The two of them took off sprinting down the corridor.  The confused troll, not knowing what else to do, followed them.  The troll definitely had the upper hand when it came to size and brute strength, but even though they were wandless, Hermione and Oliver were quick and could probably outrun it.  At least, they _thought they could… until they came to a pile of rubble in the middle of the hall._

            Hermione frantically glanced from side to side.  "We're trapped!" she said upon realizing that they were at a dead end.

            "What are we going to do?" Oliver asked.  The troll's heavy footsteps grew louder as the massive creature drew closer.

            Now was one of those rare occasions when Hermione couldn't think of anything, and she was mentally kicking herself for it.  "I don't know," she said.  If only they had their wands!

            The troll was coming.  Oliver and Hermione closed their eyes and held onto each other tightly, expecting to hear the sound of the troll's giant club smashing open their skulls at any moment.  What they heard instead, though, were two words: "Wingardium Leviosar!"

            They opened their eyes, and saw Eko Chang pointing his wand at the troll, the troll's club hovering in the air, and the very confused troll wondering what the hell was going on.  "Minister Chang?" Oliver said in disbelief.

            Suddenly, three other figures appeared out of thin air: Bill Weasley and Albus and Minerva Dumbledore.  Bill placed a hand on both Oliver and Hermione.  "Are you two all right?" he asked, and they said they were.

            Dumbledore stepped up next to Chang.  "I'll take it from here, Eko," he said.

            Chang nodded and took a step back.  Dumbledore pointed Godric Gryffindor's sword at the troll, and a bright light flashed.  When the light faded, the troll was unconscious.

            Hermione was the first one to speak.  "Wow," she said.  "How did you do that?"

            Dumbledore looked at the sword for a moment before putting it back in its sheath, and then answered Hermione's question.  "I'm sure you know this is no ordinary sword," he said.  "The person who gave it to Godric Gryffindor placed several charms on it, including the one you just witnessed."

            Minerva couldn't help smiling a little bit.  The story of how Gryffindor received his sword was not unknown to her.

            "But this is no time for a history lesson," Dumbledore continued.  "We've got to get out of here before our friend wakes up.  There's no telling what else may be waiting in this castle for us to find.  We've already killed an Erumpent and a Manticore."

            "So that's what he meant," Oliver said to Hermione as the six of them walked past the troll and down the corridor at a rapid pace.

            "What who meant?" asked Minerva.

            "The man who captured us, Professor," Hermione answered.  "He's the one who's been killing everyone."

            They stopped walking.  "Who was he?" Dumbledore asked.  "Did he say his name?"

            "No, he didn't," Oliver said, "and we never saw his face.  All he said was that he had some urgent business to attend to in London and that he and the Nundu would be leaving the country after that."

            Dumbledore looked at Chang, and the Minister of Magic nodded.  "I know what you're thinking," he said, "and I'm as good as gone."  Without another word, he vanished into thin air as he Apparated back to the Ministry of Magic headquarters in London.

            "There's more," Hermione said.  "Lucius Malfoy is in danger.  All of this is somehow connected to him.  We have to warn him."

            "Very well," Dumbledore said.  "We'll send an owl to them as soon as we get back to London.  For now, let's just worry about getting out of here."

            Slowly but surely, the Kelpie was being driven back into the water as Lupin and Wood sent fireballs flying from their wands at the giant creature.  "Do you think this is going to work?" Wood called to his companion.

            "I don't know!" Lupin shouted back.  "It seems to be working now, but I don't know how long it's going to last!"

            It wasn't going to last for much longer.  The Kelpie, upon realizing that the fireballs were just intended to inflict discomfort and would cause no real damage, charged at its assailants.  Its charged stopped, though, when a giant white fireball exploded just in front of it.  It let out a snarl, and then, deciding that these bothersome wizards weren't worth the trouble, turned around and retreated into the depths of the lake.

            Lupin and Wood, wondering where the white fireball had come from, turned around and saw Bill Weasley and Albus and Minerva Dumbledore holding out their wands.  Then, they saw who was with them: Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger.  They ran over to them, and Alan and Oliver embraced each other tightly.  "What in the world happened to you?" Wood asked his son.

            "It's a long story," Oliver said.

            "One we don't have time to discuss at the moment," Dumbledore added.  "Come, let's get out of here before anything else happens."

            The instant Eko Chang arrived back at the Ministry of Magic headquarters, Nathaniel Kilner, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, came walking up to him at a rapid pace.  "We've discovered who's behind all the killings involving the Nundu, Minister Chang," the tall, robust man reported.

            "Have you?" Chang said, thinking they had discovered the identity of the man who had captured Oliver and Hermione.

            "We have," Kilner confirmed with a nod.  He reached into his pocket and handed Chang a piece of paper.  "Lucius Malfoy."


	24. Surprise!

~~ Chapter Twenty-Four: Surprise! ~~

            Lydia Vierra, headmistress of Skyliner Wizarding Academy, was sitting at her desk going over some documents from the Swiss wizarding government.  The magical government in Switzerland wasn't particularly strong, and they frequently asked for her input.  In her opinion, magic and politics didn't mix, and she was never in a good mood when asked to do this.  She was a teacher, not a politician, and she wished they would realize that.

            All of a sudden, she sensed the presence of another person in the immediate vicinity, and mentally kicked herself for leaving her office door open.  She lifted her head, and was surprised to see not one, but _four people standing in the doorway: two boys in their early teens and two men in their thirties.  One of the boys was short, with black hair and bright green eyes behind his glasses.  The other boy was a few inches taller, and had blonde hair and grey eyes.  One of the men bore a striking resemblance to the second boy, with blonde hair that reached just past his shoulders and the same eyes.  The second man had dark hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. "Can I help you?" Skyliner's puzzled headmistress asked._

            The blonde man stepped forward.  "I'm looking for someone," he said.  "A dear friend."

            "Really, now?"  Vierra pulled off her reading glasses and set them down on her desk.  "And just who might this 'dear friend' of yours be?"

            "Alina Terringer."

            Vierra felt her stomach jump into her throat as she realized who this man had to be.  She stood up and walked over to them.  "Lydia Vierra, headmistress of Skyliner," she said, extending her right hand.

            "Lucius Malfoy, man in love," he replied, shaking her hand.  "This is my friend Severus Snape, my son Draco, and his friend, Harry Potter.  Where is Alina?  Is she still here?"

            Vierra nodded.  "Oh yes, she's here, Mr. Malfoy.  This way."

"Any questions?"

            A girl in the third row raised her hand.  Alina Terringer made eye contact with the student and nodded.  "How many Masters of Musical Enchantment have there been?" she inquired.

            "Twenty-three, in recorded history," Alina answered.  "All but four have been female, and only twice did more than one walk the earth at once."

            "When was that?" asked a boy near the back of the room.

            "The first was in the time of the ancient Greeks," Alina said.  "There were three then: the Sirens.  Then, about a thousand years ago, the four greatest wizards that ever lived became Masters of Musical Enchantment.  Their names were Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin.  Yes, Mr. Lasselle?"

            A boy in the second row lowered his hand.  "Why were only four of them men?"

            "It comes easier to women for some reason.  No one knows why.  Ms. Benner?"

            "Who was the most powerful?" asked a girl in the front row.

            "Supposedly, Rowena Ravenclaw," Alina said.  "Historians believe that I may surpass her in ability someday, and I think that's all the time we have for today.  Enjoy the rest of your classes."

            Once all the students had left the room, Alina walked over to the door, watched them go down the hall, then closed the door and walked back to the front of the room.  She let out a long sigh and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.  She was pressing so hard that it was beginning to hurt, so one hand went down to her hip and the other to her forehead.  Upon reaching the front row, she stopped walking and laid down on the tables, looking up at the ceiling.  She could only imagine how silly she looked, but at that moment, she didn't really care.

            Alina hated talking about her own competence in her field, and that was why she had dismissed class almost five minutes early.  Musical Enchantment wasn't just an area of study; it was a life.  _No, she told herself.  __It's not a life.__  It's a curse.__  A curse that consumes every inch of your soul until there's nothing left, and when that happens, it feeds off those around you.  That was why her life was like this, why she was alone._

            She closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her cheeks.  Almost involuntarily, she began singing a soft lament that conveyed the heartache and frustration she felt with her life.  Happiness had been so close… how could it have vanished in just seconds?

            "That's odd," Vierra commented as she saw some thirty-five students walk past the five of them on their way to the Musical Enchantment classroom.  "Class isn't out for another five minutes, and Alina has the fourth-years right now."

            "Do you think something's wrong?" asked Harry.

            Considering Alina's behavior and attitude toward life as of late, she wasn't too sure.  Vierra took a deep breath and said, "I hope not."

            They reached their destination, and stopped walking just outside the door.  Lucius reached for the door handle, then stopped.  "I don't know if I can do this," he said.

            Snape let out a groan.  "Bloody hell, Lucius!  You didn't drag us all the way to Switzerland just so you could wimp out right when you're about to see her again!  Open the damned door!"

            Harry and Draco looked at each other and tried not to laugh.

            Lucius almost smiled at his friend's outburst.  He opened the door, but as soon as he did, the sound of Alina's lament hit his eardrums, and he collapsed to the floor as it felt as though his heart was being ripped out of his body.  It was a sadness unlike any he had ever felt before, and he was overcome with so much anguish that he wanted to die.  When death did not come, he just felt even worse, and he started clawing at his wrists.  Soon, his fingernails broke skin and drew blood.

            When Draco saw his father collapse and then begin to mutilate himself, he grabbed Harry's arm and clenched it tightly.  "What's happening?" he asked.  He, Harry, Snape, and Vierra were feeling some of the effects of the lament, but not like Lucius.

            "The lament," Vierra realized.  "He's the source of her pain.  Get him out of there before he kills himself!"

            Snape grabbed onto Lucius and lifted him to his feet.  "Come on, Lucius," he said.  "Snap out of it!"

            All the commotion had caught Alina's attention, and her song stopped.  "What's happening?" she asked, sitting up.  Then, she saw Snape, Lucius, Harry, and Draco, and she ran to the front of the room.  "No!" she cried when she saw what Lucius had done to himself.  "Lucius, no!"

            Still under the effects of the spell, Lucius looked at her with tears in his eyes, and lifted a shaking hand toward her.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "Kill me… just kill me… I don't deserve to live."

            "You don't know what you're talking about," Alina said.  "You're incapable of coherent thought."

            He shook his head.  "No, Alina, for the first time in my life, I'm thinking more coherently than I ever have before."

            Alina was torn between being delighted to see them and devastation over driving Lucius to this.  Most of her pain was centered around him, and for him to hear the lament was downright dangerous.  There was no telling what he would do as long as he was under the influence of this spell.

            "What happened, Alina?" Snape asked through clenched teeth in his struggle to hold Lucius still.

            "The lament drove him mad," she said, "but there's no time to explain.  We've got to get him to medical and put him under constant surveillance before he kills himself."

            It took Snape and two other full-grown men to subdue Lucius and get him into a hospital bed.  Snape had to knock him out with Sleeping Draught before they were finally able to succeed in the task.  Now Lucius was asleep, and Snape, Alina, Harry, Draco, and Vierra were standing around the bed.  Snape was the first to ask the question they were all thinking about.  "How long is he going to be like this, Alina?"

            She shook her head sadly.  "I don't know.  It may be a few days.  I've never actually seen this happen before."

            "Isn't there a counter-lament you can do or something?" asked Harry.

            "Laments are complex spells, Harry," Alina said.  "All they do to most people is make them feel a little sad for a few moments, but if it is heard by the person who is the source of the caster's pain, then it drives that person mad.  It's not permanent, of course, but I don't know how long it will be in effect."  She glanced at Lucius for a moment, then lifted her eyes to Snape.  "What are you four doing here, anyway?"

            Snape couldn't help smiling a little bit as he answered the question.  "We came for you."

            "You _what_?"

            "We came for you," Snape said again.  "Lucius was going crazy from missing you, so we decided to come here so he could apologize and hopefully get you to come back with us."

            "So will you come?" Draco asked.

            Alina looked at Vierra, but the Skyliner headmistress spoke before Alina's question could be asked.  "You've done enough, Professor Terringer, and thank you," she said.  "You can leave whenever you're ready."

            "Then it's settled," Alina said.  "We'll leave as soon as Lucius comes to his senses."  She looked at Snape and smiled.  "Severus, you are a wonderful friend.  Thank you."

            "It was nothing," Snape mumbled, blushing slightly.  "Don't mention it."

            Eko Chang couldn't believe his ears.  Lucius Malfoy?  Lucius Malfoy was behind the attacks?  No, that didn't make any sense.  And yet, in his hand, he held documentation that proved Lucius was their man.  The evidence was overwhelming, and it all fit into place.

            "Should I give the order, sir?" Kilner asked.

            Chang's instincts told him this couldn't be true, but Lucius was not known for being an honest man.  It was entirely possible that he had been deceiving them all along.  The Minister of Magic closed his eyes and nodded once.  "Give the order," he said.  "I want him arrested and then brought to me."

            When Lucius Malfoy awoke, the first thing he thought of was Alina.  The second thing to cross his mind was why he was tied to a bed.  The last thing he could remember was hearing Alina's voice and then becoming so overcome by sadness that he tried to kill himself.  That would explain why he was in the bed, but what about Alina?  Where was she?  And why was he tied up?  He struggled to get up, but the ropes that held him in place were too strong.

            "You're awake."

            Lucius recognized the voice at once, and turned his head toward the direction it came from.  "Alina?"

            She smiled at him.  "Hi."  She was alone.  Vierra had gone back to her office, Snape was off talking to Skyliner's Potions instructor, and Harry and Draco were checking out the Quidditch team.  Lucius had been unconscious for almost four hours.

            He was so overjoyed that he didn't even know where to begin.  "Alina, I'm sorry," he said.  "Will you ever fo-"

            He was cut off when her left index finger pressed against his lips.  "It's all right," she said.  "Everything's all right.  It's time to put all of this behind us."

            She pulled her hand away, and then leaned down and kissed him.  "I've missed you," she said when the kiss ended.

            "I've missed you, too."  He glanced from side to side, and then looked at Alina with a hopeful expression on his face.  "Alina?"

            "Yes, Lucius?"

            "Do you think you could untie me?"

            The next day, after traveling by train, boat, and train again, Lucius, Alina, Draco, Harry, and Snape arrived in London.  Snape wanted to stop by the Ministry of Magic headquarters to see if the Loch Lomond operation had been successful, and the others, being curious about it as well, decided to go along with him.  However, within seconds after stepping off the train, something happened that none of them expected.

            Without any warning, three wizards wearing black cloaks with the hoods down appeared, and two of them grabbed Lucius.  "What's going on?" he asked, struggling to break free of their grip.

            "Aurors," Snape realized.  He'd had plenty of run-ins with Aurors during his days as a Death Eater, and still carried a certain dislike and fear of them.

            "That's right," the third Auror said.  "By the order of Nathaniel Kilner, under permission from Eko Chang, we are placing you, Lucius Malfoy, under arrest."

            "What for?" Alina demanded.

            An amused smirk crossed the face of the third Auror.  "Murder and treason."

A/N: Yeah, I had to throw in the Founders… what can I say, they interest me, but you probably already knew that.  Anyhoo, that's Chapta 24 for ya.  Do you want a happy or tragic ending?  I need to know soon.  Thanks for reading.  Stay tuned for our next installment, in which Hogwarts reopens and – what's this?  Does Professor Trelawney actually get a prediction _right_?  Whoa…


	25. Think Fast

Freelancer: *cowers in fear of people who would put her in Azkaban if she made this story have a tragic ending*  Okay, okay, it'll have a happy ending, unless of course you're a big fan of Icarus Knight.  ^_^  The ending is still a ways off, though; I would say that this story is about sixty-five to seventy percent done.  (103 pages on my computer and counting!  Yeah!)  Anyhoo, on with the show.

~~ Chapter Twenty-Five: Think Fast ~~

            "WHAT?!?"

            Nathaniel Kilner couldn't help flinching a little when Eko Chang let out his loud cry of shock and surprise.  The head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had just given the Minister of Magic the latest news concerning Lucius Malfoy's arrest earlier that afternoon, and Chang did not take the report very well.  He stood up, knocking over his chair, and walked from behind his desk over to the middle of his office, where Kilner was standing.  Kilner was a full head taller than Chang and weighed about seventy pounds more, but even so, the tall, robust  man felt tiny compared to his enraged superior.

            "I gave you an order to bring Malfoy to me," Chang said, struggling to keep his voice at a reasonable level.  "What part of 'I want him arrested and then brought to me' didn't you _understand_?"

            "I _told_ the Aurors to bring him here!" Kilner insisted.  "I don't know why they didn't listen!"

            "Then tell your Aurors that the order was to bring Lucius Malfoy to _me_, Eko Chang, the Minister of Magic, _NOT TO TAKE HIM TO AZKABAN!!!_"

            Kilner flinched again.  Chang spun around on his heels and walked back over to his desk.  He placed his hands on it and stared at the polished mahogany surface.  "Is Professor Dumbledore still here?"

            "Which one?" Kilner asked meekly.

            "I don't care which one!" Chang snapped.  "Are they here or not?"

            "No, sir, I don't believe so."

            "Fine.  I'll send an owl to Hogwarts."  He lifted his head and looked at his subordinate.  "See what you can do about getting him out of there.  I want to know the minute you know _anything_.  Dismissed."

            Kilner nodded.  "Yes, sir."

            Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore received an owl from Eko Chang with the final details concerning Lucius Malfoy's arrest the next evening, just after dinner.  Hogwarts had reopened that day, and the last of the students arrived that afternoon.  Now he and Minerva were in the staff room reading the letter and trying to figure out how they were going to break the bad news to Lucius's son and two closest friends.

            Finally, Minerva said she would do it, and left to find Severus Snape and Alina Terringer.  She returned about ten minutes later with the two faculty members.  "What's going on?" Alina asked as soon as the three of them entered the staff room.  "Is he out yet?"

            "No," Dumbledore answered, "and I'm afraid it may be a long time before we can get him released, if ever."

            "He didn't murder those people," Snape said.  "Lucius is a relatively powerful wizard, but he cannot control a Nundu."

            "_I_ can't control a Nundu, Severus," Dumbledore replied.  "I wouldn't expect Lucius to be able to.  But like I said, getting him out any time soon is highly unlikely."

            "Why?" Alina asked.  "He's innocent."

            _"Innocent" in the loosest sense of the word_, Dumbledore thought.  Lucius was hardly "innocent", but in his heart, the old wizard knew he wasn't responsible for the murders, and he believed Lucius really had changed his ways and was deserving of their forgiveness.  "_We_ know that," Dumbledore said, "but the Azkaban officials have made it clear that unless we can prove it _wasn't Lucius, he is theirs."_

            "Which means we would have to find out who _did do it," Minerva added._

            "But how?" Snape asked.  "We have no leads."

            "Was it Voldemort?" Alina said.

            Dumbledore shook his head.  "No, it wasn't Voldemort.  He may have a hand in it somewhere along the line, but he is not our main concern at the moment."

            Suddenly, Eko Chang appeared out of thin air.  "My apologies, Professors, but I have bad news that cannot wait."

            "Minister Chang!" Dumbledore exclaimed in a tone of voice that was both surprised and reprimanding.  "You know Apparating is not permitted on school grounds!"

            "I'm sorry, Albus, but this really could not wait," Chang said.  "There's been another murder."

            "There!" Alina almost shouted.  "That's your proof right there!  How could Lucius have killed anyone if he's been in Azkaban for the last twenty-four hours?"

            "That's true, Professor Terringer, but that's not what is so significant about this," Chang replied.  "The victim's name was Diego Nameth, and he was found about forty minutes ago in an alley in London.  He was killed by the Nundu.  Diego Nameth was one of the three Aurors that captured Lucius at the train station yesterday afternoon."

            It was disturbing to know that there was another killing, but the four Hogwarts faculty members didn't see how it all tied in with proving that Lucius was innocent.  Dumbledore asked the question that was on all their minds.  "Eko, where are you going with this?"

            Chang took a deep breath, and then answered, "An autopsy determined that Diego Nameth was killed yesterday _morning."_

            "He couldn't have captured Lucius if he was dead," Snape said.

            "Exactly," Chang said with a nod.  "And there's more.  An empty flask was found next to his body, and a few drops of liquid still remained in it.  We tested the liquid as well, and guess what it was?  Polyjuice Potion."

            "So someone impersonated your Auror and captured Lucius," Minerva concluded.

            "Which explains why he went to Azkaban and not to me," Chang said.  He sighed, and raised his eyes toward the ceiling for a moment.  In a soft voice, he said to himself, "Mental note: apologize to Nathaniel Kilner."

            "What?" asked Dumbledore.

            "Long story," Chang said, and that was all that needed to be said.

            "Well, that's good to know," said Alina, "but it still doesn't tell us who's behind all this.  How do we find out who's setting up Lucius?"

            Minerva and Dumbledore looked at each other.  "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked.

            "It's a long shot, you know," she pointed out.

            He nodded.  "I know."

            Snape and Alina immediately realized what the headmaster and deputy headmistress were proposing, and they looked at each other.  "What are the chances of this working?" Alina asked.

            "Slim to none," the Potions Master replied.

            Alina nodded.  "Okay."  She looked at Dumbledore.  "Go for it."  Snape voiced his agreement as well.

            Chang blinked and scratched his head.  "Come again?"

            Sibyll Trelawney was in the middle of organizing a stack of papers when a knock on the door of her classroom brought her back to the moment.  "Come in," she called.

            The door opened, and five people came in: Albus Dumbledore, Minerva Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Alina Terringer, and Eko Chang.  "Is there a problem?" the confused Divination instructor asked.

            "Professor Trelawney," Dumbledore began, "we need to ask a favor of you."

            Trelawney nodded.  "Go ahead.  I'm listening."

            Dumbledore explained the situation and what they had figured out in light of Chang's new information.  "So someone is trying to set up Lucius for the attacks, and you want to know who is behind all of this," she concluded.

            "Yes, that's right," Alina said.  "Do you think you can do it, Professor Trelawney?"

            Trelawney took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  "I can try, Professor Terringer."

            Lucius Malfoy had been in Azkaban for a little under twenty-four hours, but that was more than enough time for him to realize that this was the last place he wanted to be.  He remembered an incident early on in his time as a Death Eater, the one time he questioned Voldemort's authority to the Dark Lord's face, and was forced to endure the Cruciatus Curse for about thirty seconds.  As soon as the word "Crucio" left Voldemort's mouth, Lucius decided he would never again do something that would bring that upon himself again.  That, of course, happened long before he discovered just how dispensable he was to Voldemort.  It took him even faster to decide that he hated Azkaban.

            The cell he was in was dark, damp, and freezing cold.  It stank like a sewer, and the air was thick and clammy.  The worst part, though, were the dementors, the prison's guards.  They seemed to be made of pure malevolence and hatred and abhorrence for life.  Being around them was almost like enduring the effects of the lament Alina accidentally cast on him.  He wanted to die, but he knew he couldn't give in.  If he gave up hope, everything was lost, and those behind all this had already won.

            To keep his mind off his longing for death, Lucius began making a mental list of things he was going to do as soon as he got out of there.  _I am, after all, getting out of here, he thought to himself as the idea entered his head.  The first item on the list was to tell his son that he loved him, an emotion he had never truly known until recently.  The second was to ask Alina to marry him.  The third would be to get some grudges worked out with certain people in his life, people like Remus Lupin, Albus and Minerva Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and, yes, even Arthur Weasley.  The fourth –_

            "Lucius Malfoy."

            The sound of a malicious voice interrupted Lucius's thoughts.  Immediately, he knew it was a dementor.  Their voices were soft hisses that sounded like sliding gravel and were barely audible.  "Lucius Malfoy," the dementor said again.

            "I know who I am," Lucius snapped.

            "Lucius Malfoy, by the order of the Ministry of Magic, through way of the Auror called Diego Nameth, you are to be…"

            _To be what? Lucius thought impatiently, even though he knew what the dementor was going to say._

            He almost swore he heard the dementor chuckle as it finished the sentence.  "Executed."

            Nearly five minutes passed before Trelawney opened her eyes again.  "Well?" Dumbledore asked.  "Did it work?  Do you know?"

            She nodded.  "Yes, I know."

            "Who is it?" the other five said in unison.

            Trelawney then spoke one of the last names anyone ever expected to hear: "Icarus Knight."

            Minerva gasped.  Snape and Chang were unable to hide their surprise as well, and both had looks of shock and confusion on their faces.  Alina had a similar look, but hers was more confused than shocked.  Dumbledore didn't believe it, but just hearing that name again was disturbing enough to make him reassure the others that it couldn't possibly be Icarus Knight.  "I'm sorry, Professor Trelawney, but I'm afraid you've missed another one," he said.  "Icarus Knight is dead."

            Trelawney shook her head.  "No, Professor Dumbledore, Icarus Knight is alive, and he is the guilty party.  Trust me."

            "Who is Icarus Knight?" the puzzled Alina finally asked.

            "Icarus Knight was the most brilliant Hogwarts student since Tom Riddle," Minerva answered.  "He was a prefect and very well-liked.  Everyone thought he would be Head Boy, but then, about three months into his sixth year, he just vanished, and no one ever saw him again."

            "I never saw him," Snape said when he saw Dumbledore looking at him.  He knew the headmaster was going to ask if he'd ever spotted Knight in the ranks of the Death Eaters.  "He wasn't one of us."

            "I remember him possessing an unusual ability to control magical creatures," Minerva said.  "There was the incident in 1974, when Professor Danner brought in a Graphorn, and it broke out of its cage – do you remember that?"  Her question was directed mostly at Dumbledore, Snape, and Chang, who were all at Hogwarts at the time of the incident.  That was the Minister of Magic's last year at the school, when he was Head Boy.

            "Yes," Snape said.  "I do remember.  Knight stood up, walked over to the creature, and held out his hand.  In less than thirty seconds, he had complete control over it."

            "So if he had the ability to control a Graphorn as a fourth-year student-" Alina began.

            "Third-year," Minerva corrected.  "The incident happened in April of 1974."

            "Third-year," Alina said, "do you think, with the proper training over a seventeen year period, he could have learned how to control, say…"

            "A Nundu?" Chang finished when he realized where she was going.

            Alina nodded.  "Right.  A Nundu?"

            "It's possible, but highly unlikely," Dumbledore said.  "He would have to have been trained by someone even more powerful than…"  He stopped speaking as all the pieces in this puzzle fell into place, and finished the thought with the word, "Oh."

            "What about Lucius?" Alina said.  "Can we get him out now?"

            "We can certainly try," Chang replied.  "We'll have a better chance now that we know who it is."

            "You'd better hurry," Trelawney said.  "He's about to be executed."

            Four pairs of eyes flew to Chang.  "I never gave an order for him to be executed!" Chang said defensively.  "I told the Aurors to bring him to me, not take him to Azkaban!"

            "We know," Dumbledore said.  "I was going to ask-"

            "Not even I can Apparate into Azkaban," Chang said upon realizing what the question was.  "There's a barrier set up around it to prevent anyone from escaping."

            "Then Apparate to just outside the barrier," the Hogwarts headmaster said.  "You're the only one that can stop the execution, Eko."

            Chang sighed and nodded.  "All right.  I'm on my way."

            Executed?  No one ever said anything about executions.  "What do you mean?" Lucius asked.

            "You are to be executed," the dementor hissed.

            Suddenly, two more dementors appeared.  They began talking in their language, which sounded like a combination of hissing and clicking.  Lucius couldn't be certain, but it looked like they were arguing.  Finally, the first dementor looked at him and said, "Lucius Malfoy, you are not to be executed.  You are to be released."

            Lucius didn't like the sound of that.  Too many crazy things had happened recently for that to be good news.  "By whose order?" he asked.

            "Mine," came the assertive voice of Eko Chang.  The dementors stepped aside, allowing the Minister of Magic to be seen.  "There's been a huge mistake, Malfoy," Chang said.  "You were never supposed to be brought here.  Icarus Knight posed as one of the Aurors that arrested you and convinced the others that my order was to send you here."

            "Icarus Knight?" Lucius shouted in disbelief.  "Icarus Knight is behind this?"

            "We believe so."

            The dementors opened the cell door, and Lucius, glad to be free of the small godforsaken room, stepped out into the corridor.  "Where is he?" he asked in a voice significantly lower in volume than before.

            "We don't know," Chang replied, "but we're going to find him.  Come, let's get out of here."

            Deep in the mountains of Ethiopia, an outraged cry could be heard from one end of Ras Dashen to the other.  "No!" came the infuriated voice of Icarus Knight.  "Nooooooo!!!!!"

A/N: Ha, Icky gets foiled again!  *diabolical laughter*  Coming soon: Chapter Twenty-Six, in which Lucius has every intention of going through with items one through three on his list, and now that he knows it was Icarus Knight who did it, he can eventually go through with item four as well.  ^_^  And yes, in case you were wondering, Eko Chang _does have mad skill when it comes to Apparating.  Don't ask why, it just happened.  And I didn't know if dementors could talk or not, but they obviously needed to be able to speak for this chapter, so if they can't talk, please don't kill me.  Well I guess I'll hurry up and post this.  Thanks for reading and have a good day._


	26. Reunion

A/N: Fluff time!  Get ready to feel all warm and fuzzy… even Sev's spreading the love.  ^_^

~~ Chapter Twenty-Six: Reunion ~~

            It had been almost three hours since Eko Chang arrived and then left Hogwarts, and the hour was now well past midnight.  Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Minerva Dumbledore, and Alina Terringer returned to the staff room after thanking Professor Trelawney profusely to wait until the Minister of Magic returned, hopefully with Lucius or at least some news concerning their estranged friend.  However, due to the amount of time elapsed, they were starting to worry.

            "Why is it taking so long?" Alina asked.  By now, her concern had almost turned into paranoia.  "What if the dementors won't let them out?"

            "Eko Chang is a diplomat," Minerva said encouragingly.  "He knows how to handle situations like this.  The dementors may not be the friendliest creatures in the world, but they will respect his authority.  If there's any way to free Lucius, Chang will find it."

            Snape looked at the Musical Enchantment instructor and asked, "Alina, when was the last time you slept?"

            "Two nights before you came to Switzerland, I think."

            "You _really should get some sleep," Snape said, and Albus and Minerva voiced their agreement._

            Alina shook her head.  "No.  I won't be able to rest until Lucius is safe."

            Dumbledore looked at the Potions Master.  "Severus?"

            Snape nodded.  "Very well."

            "Where are you going?" Alina asked as Snape stood up and began to walk toward the exit.

            "To make sleeping potion," he answered, "for all of us."

            Snape stepped into the hall, and almost screamed when he saw the two men walking toward the staff room: Eko Chang and Lucius Malfoy.  Instead, he gasped, stumbled backwards and pressed his hand to his racing heart.  "Lucius?" he said in disbelief.

            Lucius looked a little worse for wear, but otherwise unharmed.  "Hello, Severus."

            Snape grabbed Lucius and hugged him tightly.  Lucius was a little surprised.  He was glad to see his friend, too, but he hadn't expected this kind of reaction.  When Snape finally released him, Lucius smiled and said, "I missed you, too."

            All the commotion attracted the attention of the other three teachers inside the staff room, and they came into the hall to see what was going on.  As soon as she laid eyes on Lucius, Alina did exactly the same thing Snape had done: gasped, stumbled backwards, pressed her hand to her heart, and said, "Lucius?"

            He smiled at her.  "Hello, Alina."

            Lucius then received another hug, this time from the Musical Enchantment professor instead of the Potions Master.  "I know this may not be the best time to ask this," Lucius whispered into her ear, "but I have to do it before I lose my nerve."

            "What do you mean?" Alina asked as they pulled apart.

            Lucius took her hands in his and dropped down to one knee.  "Alina, will you…"  He stopped when she knelt down, too, and asked him if he was all right.  "Stand up, please?" he finished.  "I'm trying to propose here, and you're making this very difficult."

            "I'm sorry," Alina said.  Shock had set in, and she was almost unable to believe what she just heard, but did as he asked.

            "That's better.  Alina, will you marry me?"

            "But… but what about… our bloodlines?" she stammered.  "You're a pureblood.  I'm not."

            "To hell with bloodlines," Lucius said.  "I love you, and my only regret about this is I was too ignorant to realize it sooner."

            "I… I don't know what to say."

            "'Yes' would be nice."

            Tears of joy began falling down her face, and she smiled and nodded.  She didn't trust her voice at the moment.

            Overcome with joy, Lucius and Alina hugged again.  Albus and Minerva Dumbledore, who were both standing in the doorway leading into the staff room, looked at each other and smiled.  "I love happy endings," Minerva commented.

            "It's not over yet," Dumbledore responded.  He slipped his left arm around his wife's waist, then took her left hand in his right and kissed it.  "On the contrary, it's just beginning."

            Chang looked at Snape and grinned.  "You have beautiful eyes."

            Snape gave the Minister of Magic a shocked look and took a step backwards.  "Get away from me."

            The other five laughed.  Then, Minerva remembered the time, and said, "Well, now that we're all alive and well, I think it would be wise to get some sleep."

            Dumbledore, Alina, Snape, and Chang all agreed to her proposal.  Lucius, however, did not.  "In a moment," he said.  "There's something I must do first."

            Draco Malfoy was deep in a dreamless, potion-induced slumber when a familiar voice and a hand gently shaking him by the shoulder brought him back to semi-consciousness.  "Draco," the voice was saying.  "Draco, wake up."

            He recognized the voice, but didn't believe it could truly be who he thought it was.  "Father?" he asked.  "Is that you?"

            "Yes," Lucius whispered.  "I'll explain everything in the morning.  For now, just go back to sleep, but before you do, I want you to know that I love you very much.  Now rest, my son, and don't worry.  Everything will be fine."

            Draco closed his eyes, and within seconds, the boy was fast asleep again.  Lucius touched his son's smooth blonde hair for a moment, and then left the Slytherin dormitories as swiftly and silently as he came.

             Morning soon came to Hogwarts, and the students and faculty all met in the Great Hall for breakfast before beginning their first full day back after the unexpected break.  At the Gryffindor table, an excited Hermione Granger sat down next to Oliver Wood and said, "Did you hear?  They got Malfoy out of Azkaban!  He's back!"

            Oliver's eyes lit up.  "Really?  That's wonderful!  I knew whatever his name was would never get away with this."  He paused, then added, "Did they find out who he is yet?"

            "Not that I've heard," Hermione answered.  "Oh, look, there's Harry and Ron."  She waved her hand in the air and called out the names of her two fellow third-years.  The boys came walked over to the table and sat down across from her and Oliver.  "Do either of you know who was trying to set up Draco's father?" she asked.

            Harry shook his head.  "We haven't even _seen Malfoy yet.  All we've heard is that they got him out sometime late last night."_

            "Have you seen Draco yet this morning?" inquired Oliver.

            Harry shook his head.  "No, not yet."

            "We went looking for him," Ron added, "but we saw Professor Snape first, and he said Draco was talking to his father.  Then he told us that they got Big Malfoy out of Azkaban.  How did you find out, Hermione?"

            "I saw Minister Chang on my way in," Hermione said.  "I asked him what he was doing here, and then he explained it.  He didn't tell me who it was, though, so I was hoping I could find out from you."

            Harry sighed and lifted his eyes to the ceiling for a moment.  "Why do they always insist on not telling us everything?"

            "Who knows?" Oliver asked.  He felt the need for a change of subject coming on, and he looked at Hermione.  She was thinking the same thing, and she nodded.  Oliver looked back at Harry and Ron and said, "So, it's two weeks until the Yule Ball… have you thought about who you're going to ask?"

            "They're still having the Yule Ball?" Ron asked.  "I thought they would have cancelled it, or postponed it, or… something."

            Hermione shook her head.  "Nope.  It's still on."

            Harry looked at his two friends sitting across from him and grinned.  "Am I correct in assuming that you two are going together?"

            Oliver smiled, put his arm around Hermione's shoulders, and said, "Well, I haven't actually asked her yet, but I plan to sometime today."

            Hermione laughed.  "Sure, Oliver, I'll go with you."

            He laughed, too.  "Great.  I'm off the hook."

            "What about you, Ron?" Harry asked.

            Ron shrugged.  "Oh, I don't know."

            "You should ask Lavender, Ron," Hermione said.  "Last night, the third-year girls all said who they were hoping would ask them, and Lavender said you."

            Ron looked surprised, and interested as well.  "Really?"

            She nodded.  "Cross my heart."

            "What about you, Harry?" Oliver asked.  Then he looked up and smiled.  "I know.  Cho Chang."

            Harry could feel his cheeks turning slightly red.  It was no secret that he had a bit of a crush on the Seeker of Ravenclaw's Quidditch team, and although they considered themselves to be friends, Harry had always been a tiny bit afraid of the pretty fourth-year.  The fact that her father was the Minister of Magic didn't do much to ease his intimidation of her.  "I don't think that's a very good idea," Harry said.

            "And why not?" asked a voice from behind him.

            Harry recognized the voice immediately.  "Cho?" he said, turning so he was facing her.

            Cho smiled.  "Hi."

            _Might as well, Harry thought to himself.  "Um… will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"_

            Her smile grew wider, if that was possible.  "I'd love to."

            "You would?" Harry said, surprised at her acceptance.

            She nodded.  "Yeah, absolutely."  She glanced toward the Ravenclaw table, then said, "I'd better get going, but thanks.  See you later."

            "Bye," Harry said as she left, still in a daze.

            Ron looked at his friend and laughed.  "Harry Potter, you are one smooth operator."

            Harry caught up to Draco on their way to their first class, Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin.  "Draco!" he called when he spotted the light-haired Slytherin walking through the hall on his way to class.  His friend stopped walking and waited for him to catch up.  "What's the story?"

            "Are you sure?" Draco asked.  "It's kind of long."

            The boys resumed walking, and Harry said, "Just paraphrase it.  Tell me the important things."

            "From what they've gathered so far," Draco began, "someone tricked the Ministry of Magic into thinking it was my father that was behind all the attacks with the Nundu, and Minister Chang was going to bring him in for questioning.  That was why he was arrested at the train station.  Here's what went wrong: someone, probably the same someone that tipped off the Ministry, killed one of the Aurors that was supposed to capture my father and used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate him.  Then he tricked the others into thinking the order was to send him to Azkaban.  Our side figured out what went wrong, and Minister Chang used the new evidence to get him out."

            That made sense.  "Who was the 'someone'?" Harry asked.

            Draco frowned.  "I don't know, and they're not telling.  I'll ask Professor Terringer in Musical Enchantment.  Maybe she'll tell us, or at least why they won't."  Then, his face lit up with excitement as he remembered something.  "Oh, and there's one more thing, but I can't tell you."

            "Why not?"

            "It's a surprise."

            Harry glared at Draco.  "You're evil."

            Draco smiled.  "I know."

            Not far behind Harry and Draco, also on their way to DADA, were two more third-years, Parvati and Padma Patil.  The twin girls were talking about some random thing when Lavender Brown, who was walking in the opposite direction, spotted them and told Parvati she needed to ask her a question.  They stepped off to the side, and Padma watched.

            Just around the corner from the girls was another set of twins, Fred and George Weasley.  George elbowed Fred in the rib cage and said, "Okay, now's your chance.  Go!"

            Fred took a deep breath and stepped out from behind his hiding place.  "Hi, Padma," he said, walking toward the pretty third-year Ravenclaw.

            Padma saw him and smiled.  "Hi… Fred?"

            He smiled and nodded.  "Yeah, I'm Fred.  Good job."

            "Thanks."

            _Come on, Fred, he told himself.  __You can do it.  "Well, as you probably know, the Yule Ball is coming up soon, and I was wondering, if you weren't already going with anyone, if you would…"_

            "Go with you?" Padma finished.

            Fred nodded.

            "I'd like that.  Sure, I'll go with you."

            "Wow!  I mean, uh…"  He paused, then said, "No, I guess I _do mean 'wow'."_

            Padma laughed.  Parvati and Lavender finished talking.  Lavender continued on her way, and Parvati joined her sister and Fred.  "What's so funny?"

            "Fred just asked me to the Yule Ball," Padma explained.

            "And there's someone who wants to ask you, Parvati," Fred said, "if he would come out and do it already."

            At that moment, George stepped into view and walked over to the girl from Gryffindor.  "Hi, Parvati," he said.  "Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?"

            "Oh, I see how it is," Parvati realized.  "Twins going with twins, right?"  She smiled.  "I like that idea.  Yes, George, I _will go to the Yule Ball with you."_

            Fred and George looked at each other.  Their smiles were so wide that the Patil twins thought their faces might rip apart.  "We'd better get to class," Padma said, giving her sister a gentle tug on the arm.

            "Yeah," Parvati agreed.  "See you guys later."  They resumed walking toward the DADA classroom, waving at the Weasley twins as they went.

            "What do we have right now?" Fred asked as he and George waved at Parvati and Padma.

            "Transfiguration," George answered.

            "Are we late yet?"

            "Almost."

            They walked back around the corner, and saw Lavender Brown waiting for them.  "Thanks, Lavender," Fred said.  "We owe you one."

            Lavender grinned and shook her head.  "You owe me six, but who's counting?" 

            As the last few students trickled out of Musical Enchantment at the end of the day, Alina Terringer began grading a stack of papers.  She didn't get too far, though; as soon as the last student left, someone came in – Lucius Malfoy.  "Are you busy?" he asked.

            She set her writing quill down and smiled.  "And just where have you been all day?"  He'd left immediately after breakfast, and although he made it known that he would be back that afternoon, he didn't tell anyone what his destination or objective was.

            "London."  He began walking toward her desk.  "I had some business to take care of at the Ministry of Magic."

            She suspected she knew what it was about, but she couldn't be certain.  "Arthur Weasley?"

            He nodded.

            "How did that go?"

            Lucius arrived at his destination and leaned up against her desk.  "Well," he said, "I don't think we're going to become best friends anytime soon, but we aren't out for blood anymore."

            "Oh, good," Alina said with a nod of her head.  "That's progress."

            "I also picked something up."  He reached into his pocket and pulled something out.  "I hope it fits," he said, holding the object out to her.

            Alina almost couldn't believe her eyes.  It was an engagement ring.  "You mean… you really meant that?"

            "You didn't think I did?" he asked, somewhat stunned.

            "I hadn't slept for five days," she replied.  "I thought I was imagining it."

            "Well, in that case, let me try again now that you're not suffering from sleep deprivation," Lucius said.  He took her hands and knelt down on the floor.  "Alina, will you marry me?"

            She smiled.  "Yes."

            He stood up, kissed her, and slid the ring onto her finger.  "I never thought I would fall in love with you, Alina," he admitted.

            "I never thought I would fall in love with you, either," she replied.  "I don't think anyone did."

            He shook his head.  "Probably not.  We showed them, though."

            Alina laughed.  "Yes, we certainly did that."

            An enraged Icarus Knight stormed through his fortress at Ras Dashen until he reached the room in which the cage that held the Nundu was located.  The giant leopard was in the cage, gnawing on the bone of an elephant.  When it heard Knight enter the room, it dropped the bone and walked over to the bars.

            Knight opened the door, and the Nundu stepped out into the room.  "I don't understand," he said to the animal.  "Everything was in place.  It was foolproof.  How could it have gone wrong?"

            A voice that sounded like a combination of thunder and growling slowly spoke a reply.  It was so deep, low, and thick that it was barely discernable, but Knight was used to it. "They are more powerful than we thought."

            Knight held his thumb and forefinger a quarter of an inch apart.  "We were this close to victory, Artawney.  Then that quack Trelawney had to go and get a prediction right for a change and ruin everything."

            "There is still time," replied the Nundu, Artawney by name.  "We can kill them.  And when they are out of the way, the next to go will be Voldemort."

            Despite his anger over their failure, Artawney's statement made Knight smile.  "Yes," he said.  "Poor Voldemort.  First Lucius, and now me.  It's getting so you can't trust anyone these days."

A/N: Wasn't that fun?  Don't ask when, how, or why I became a Harry/Cho shipper… like so many other things in this story, it just sort of happened.  While we're on the topic of things that just sort of happened, the decision to make Artawney, the Nundu, be able to speak was another one of those.  Hey, Acromantulas are capable of human speech, so why not Nundus, too?  Keep your eyes open for Chapter 27, which will include more fluff, some music, some dancing, and some mistaken identity.  (Weasley twins and Patil twins – NUFF SAID!!!)


	27. Holiday Turned Horror

Yeah!  Finally updated!  Go me!  ^_^  Sorry it took so long – lack of inspiration, bleh.  Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter that was so long in the making.  Please feel free to kick Icarus Knight's ass if you so desire at the end.  Here we go!

~~ Chapter Twenty-Seven: Holiday Turned Horror ~~

            "Have any of you seen Fred and George?"

            Parvati Patil's question caused the four couples it was directed at to halt their conversation.  "I thought they were with you," Harry Potter said, glancing at the twin girls.

            Padma shook her head.  "We got separated, and we can't find them."

            "Over there," Oliver Wood said, pointing to a red-haired boy across the room.  "Oh, wait, that's Percy.  Never mind."

            Ron Weasley shot the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team a surprised look.  "I can understand not being able to tell Fred and George apart, but them and Percy?"

            "Hey, it's from a distance," said Ron's date, Lavender Brown.  "Give him a break."

            "Yeah, give him a break," Oliver agreed, and they all laughed.  Oliver's eyes scanned the crowd again, and he spotted one of the twins for real this time.  "Look, there's one of them, talking to Professor Dumbledore."

            "Which one?" asked Cho Chang.

            "George, I think," Oliver answered.

            Cho shook her head.  "No, which Professor Dumbledore?"

            "Oh.  Minerva."

            "That's good enough for us," Padma said, grabbing onto her sister's wrist.  "Come on, Parvati."  The girls left to seek out their dates.

            "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for the Patil twins to go with the Weasley twins," Hermione Granger commented.  "Things could get confusing real fast."

            Ginny Weasley shook her head.  "No, what wasn't such a good idea was for Parvati and Padma to wear the same thing."

            "Did they plan that?" inquired Ginny's date, Draco Malfoy.  Parvati and Padma were wearing identical powder blue dresses, and both girls had their hair down.  Earlier that night, Harry asked if they would be able to tell _themselves_ apart.

            "No, but Fred and George did," Ron answered.  Fred and George were both wearing kilts.

            The Yule Ball had been under way for an hour, and so far, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  Lee Jordan turned Angelina Johnson's punch into vinegar, but that aside, the ball had been relatively uneventful, which was fine with those in attendance.  With everything that had taken place over the last few months, a party was just what they needed to unwind.

            Draco turned to his date and asked her if she would like to dance.  Ginny accepted, and the two of them excused themselves from the other six and made their way out onto the dance floor.  His mind was spinning as he danced with the girl that up until a few weeks ago, he'd absolutely hated.  Then again, until recently, he hated _all_ Gryffindors, and even more so when they were Weasleys.  Mostly, it was because of his father and his longtime rivalry with Arthur Weasley.  Lucius wasn't the only Malfoy that had undergone a lot of change in the last few months.  Draco had become a different, and in his opinion, better person since he became friends with Harry, and he couldn't remember seeing his father happier than when he was with Alina Terringer.  Lucius and Arthur were still far from friends, but in light of Lucius's recent visit to the Ministry of Magic and a long, more or less neutral conversation, the two men were no longer out to kill each other.  And since Arthur and Lucius weren't enemies anymore, Harry had suggested that Draco celebrate by asking Ginny to the Yule Ball.  And so there they were – two former enemies, now enjoying time together.  Friendship was a wonderful thing.

            "Are you okay?"

            Ginny's voice broke into Draco's thoughts, and his mind returned to the moment.  "Yeah, I'm fine," he said.  "I was just thinking, that's all."

            "Anything in particular?"

            He laughed.  "Are you always so inquisitive?"

            Ginny grinned.  "Yes."

            "That's all," Fred Weasley said as he finished talking to Minerva Dumbledore.  "Thanks, Professor."

            "Any time, Mr. Weasley," she replied.  "You look very… nice, by the way."

            Fred grinned.  "Aw, shucks."  He was rather proud of the kilts he and George had acquired for the occasion.  "You do, too, Professor."

            At that moment, Albus Dumbledore walked up to the two of them and planted a kiss on his wife's cheek.  "I concur," he said.

            Minerva smiled and blushed slightly.  Fred laughed.  "You two are so…"

            "So what?" Minerva asked.

            "For lack of a better word, cute."

            Two identical twin girls appeared on either side of Fred.  "'Cute'?" said the one on the left.  "That's the best a Weasley could come up with?  How about endearing, or adorable, or charming?  Certainly something better than 'cute'."

            "Take it up with Fred," Fred said.  "He thought of it."

            "Does that make you George?" asked the twin on the right.

            "Only if you're Parvati," Fred answered with a grin.

            "I am," she confirmed.  "Let's dance."

            "Yes, let's.  Please excuse us."

            Dumbledore, Minerva, and the twin on the left watched them go.  "You know, I could have sworn that one was Fred," Minerva said.

            The twin on the left laughed.  "Good, because that was Padma.  Have either one of you seen George, Professors?"

            "Not unless that really _was George," said Dumbledore._

            Parvati shrugged.  "Who knows with those two?  I'm going to find my date.  Wish me luck."

            "Luck," the headmaster and deputy headmistress said in unison as the third-year Gryffindor left to seek out George.

            Dumbledore was about to ask Minerva to dance when another student came up to them – Colin Creevey, with a camera in hand.  "For the school scrapbook, Professors?" he asked, holding the camera up for emphasis.

            "I didn't know we had a school scrapbook," Dumbledore commented, and slipped his arm around Minerva's waist and bent slightly over so their heads were level.

            Colin snapped a picture.  "It's my project for this year," the second-year Gryffindor explained.  "I plan to make one for the school as a whole and one for each house."

            "What a splendid idea, Colin," said Dumbledore.  "Five points to Gryffindor for your wonderful creative thinking."

            Colin beamed.  "Now, how about a picture for the Gryffindor scrapbook?"

            They kissed.  Colin chuckled and took a picture.  "I don't know if that beats one I took for the Ravenclaw scrapbook, but it might come close."

            "And what might that be, Mr. Creevey?" Minerva asked.

            "Penny Clearwater and Cho Chang kissing Professor Flitwick on either cheek," Colin answered with a grin.  "I also got a good one of Professor Terringer, Professor Snape, and Mr. Malfoy.  She's giving them bunny ears."

            "Bunny ears?" Dumbledore repeated.

            Colin held up two fingers and placed his hand behind his head.  "Like this, so it makes you look like you have ears like a rabbit."

            "Bunny ears," Minerva said thoughtfully.  "What will they think of next?"

            Colin excused himself, and Dumbledore offered Minerva his hand.  "May I have this dance?"

            When the song ended, Harry, Ron, Draco, Oliver, Cho, Lavender, Ginny, and Hermione regrouped near the punch bowl to hear the surprising news Draco had promised to tell them that night.  As it turned out, Draco and Ginny were the last ones to arrive, and when they finally did, Ron nearly pounced on him.  "What's this big news you've been talking about for the last few days?" he asked.  "Come on, man, spit it out!"

            Harry laughed and put his hand on Ron's shoulder.  "Ron, breathe!"

            "It's about my father," said Draco.  "He's getting married."

            "To who?" asked Cho.

            "Professor Terringer."

            Hermione let out a squeal of delight and hugged the nearest person, which happened to be Lavender.  Lavender laughed and said, "I love you, too, Hermione."

            "Sorry," Hermione said, and let go of Lavender.  She smiled warmly at Draco.  "That's wonderful, Draco.  It really is."

            Draco basked in the glow of Hermione speaking to him like a friend for a moment, and then said, "The wedding's going to take place after school gets out in June.  You're all invited.  It'll probably take place at either Malfoy Manor or our summer home outside of Cardiff.  My money's on Cardiff at the moment; they want it to be outdoors and that one has a bigger garden.  And here's the _real _surprise – you'll never guess who my father asked to be the best man."

            Harry wanted to say Professor Snape, but that was too obvious.  Ginny asked it before he could, though.  Draco shook his head and said, "No."

            "Eko Chang," Harry guessed.

Hearing her father's name caused Cho to glance at him briefly out of the corner of her eye.

            "No," was Draco's response.

            "Professor Dumbledore?" guessed Ron.  "_Albus_ Dumbledore, that is."

            "No, and it's not Minerva Dumbledore, either," Draco said, and all eight of them chuckled.

            "Then who is it?" asked Hermione.  "Professor Lupin?"

            "I know!" Cho exclaimed.  "Professor Flitwick!"

            They all laughed again, and Draco said, "No and no."

            "Filch!" said Oliver, and more laughter ensued.

            "Okay, you're never going to get this," said Draco.

            "Who is it?" inquired Lavender.

            Draco took a deep breath, and then gave them the answer.  "Arthur Weasley."

            For a few moments, the others were too surprised to speak.  "What did he say?" Hermione finally squeaked.

            "Yes."

            "No way!" Ron almost shouted.  His smile was so wide it looked like it would split his face in two.  "My father's going to be the best man at Lucius Malfoy's wedding?  Draco, I could kiss you!"  A horrified look crossed his face as he realized what he just said.  "I mean – Harry, stop laughing!"

            Harry was laughing so hard tears were rolling down his cheeks.  He started to lose his balance and had to lean on Cho for support.  The others, besides Ron, had no idea what was so funny, and stared at Harry with mystified expressions on their faces.

            Deep inside his fortress at Ras Dashen, Icarus Knight was definitely _not_ laughing.  He stormed into the room the Nundu was kept in and immediately began speaking to the creature.  "I can't take it anymore, Artawny," he said.  "We are powerful enough, and if we strike now, we can defeat them.  While they are celebrating their victory, their defenses will be lowered.  We can crush them now with one swift blow!"

            "But you have not cleared this yet with Lord Voldemort," came Artawny's deep, rumbling voice that sounded more like thunder with fluctuation than an actual voice.

            "To hell with Voldemort," Knight replied.  "I'll do it myself.  Are you coming?"

            If a Nundu could smile, that's what Artawny would have done.  "I have a better idea," he growled.  "They will be too strong for even the two of us there, but if you could lure them here…"

            "That didn't work at Loch Lomond," Knight said.  "Why would it work here?"

            "Because at Loch Lomond, they only had to deal with an Erumpent, a mountain troll, a Kelpie, and a Manticore," said Artawny.  "I am a Nundu."

            The left corner of Knight's mouth twitched upwards into a half-smile.  He reached into an urn sitting on a nearby table and stepped into the fireplace built into the room's east wall.  "That's right, you _are_ a Nundu."

            Knight tossed the handful of Floo powder to the floor and shouted, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

            Harry and Cho were dancing together when he spotted Lucius Malfoy and Alina Terringer nearby and suggested they go congratulate them.  Cho agreed, and the two of them walked over to Lucius and Alina.  "Draco told us the news," Harry said when they got closer.  "Way to go."

            "Yeah," said Cho.  "Congrats."

            Alina smiled warmly at both of them.  "Thank you."       

            "Yes, thank you," said Lucius.

            "You're welcome," said Harry.  Suddenly, he felt a twinge of pain – his scar.  He grimaced and pressed his hand to his forehead.

"Something's wrong," Lucius said.

            Cho touched Harry's shoulder.  "What is it, Harry?"

            "There's someone here," Harry replied.  "Someone evil."

            "Voldemort?" Alina asked in a nervous whisper.

            Harry shook his head.  He didn't know how, but he knew it wasn't Voldemort.  It was probably a member of his enemy's inner circle, though.  "No, not Voldemort.  Someone else."

            "Icarus Knight," Lucius realized.  Who else would it be?

            "Who?" asked Harry and Cho in unison.

            "No time to explain."  Lucius reached into his jacket and pulled out his wand.  "Go to your friends, and tell them what I am going to tell you: be on your guard and get your wand out."

Knight was able to walk freely through the crowd at the Yule Ball.  No one had seen him in seventeen years, and on top of that, only a handful of people knew he even existed anymore.  The students he passed, if they noticed him at all, didn't so much as give him a second look.  For all they knew, he was just another figure within the Ministry of Magic.  He wouldn't be the only one – Eko Chang was there, as were a few other Ministry officials.  He certainly couldn't be a psychopathic murderer.

            A smirk crossed his face as he spotted the perfect opportunity: Minerva Dumbledore standing off to one side, alone.  He couldn't believe his luck.  Knight made his way over to his former Transfiguration instructor and said, "Hello, Professor."

            Minerva gave him a look that wasn't unfriendly, but by no means welcoming, either.  "Who are you?" she asked, an edge of suspicion to her voice.

            "Why, Professor, what kind of a greeting is _that_ to give one of your former students?"  He leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Don't tell me you've forgotten about Icarus Knight."

            "KNIGHT!" Minerva shouted, attracting the attention of almost everyone in the room.  "ICARUS KNIGHT IS HERE!!!"

            Knight put her in a headlock and stood behind her.  He then spotted someone else he needed to come to terms with – Sibyll Trelawney.  "You will pay for exposing me, Professor Trelawney," he said when the two of them made eye contact.  "I will see to it that you _never_ get another prediction right again."  He pointed his wand at her and shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

            Screams filled the room as green light shot through Trelawney's body, killing her instantly.  Minerva struggled to break free of her captor, but he was surprisingly strong.  "Think you're going somewhere, Professor?" he asked.  "You are going nowhere but with me."

            Albus Dumbledore had been fighting his way through the crowd to get to his wife ever since Minerva screamed the warning about Knight, and was finally close enough to see them.  "Let her go, Knight!" the school's headmaster shouted in a voice that would make mountains tremble.

            Icarus Knight, however, was _not_ a mountain, and Dumbledore's order didn't make him so much as blink.  He pointed his wand at Minerva's head and said, "Not one more step, Dumbledore, or she's next."

            "Then kill me," Minerva said, "if you _dare_."

            Knight snickered.  "Spoken like a true Gryffindor."

            "As if you would know what it means to be a true Gryffindor!"

            He could have easily snapped her neck, but opted to punch her in the face instead.  This enraged Dumbledore to a point none had ever seen him at before.  His wand was out in a flash and he shouted something to capture Knight, but much to the dismay of all, both he and Minerva had vanished.

            Dumbledore ran over to the spot where they had last stood and looked around frantically.  There was no sign of them.  Eko Chang broke through the crowd and hurried over to him.  Close behind the Minister of Magic were Lucius Malfoy and Alina Terringer.  "He must have Apparated," Chang concluded.

            "But with Minerva?" Alina asked.

            "It's possible to take another person when Apparating," Chang said, "but it's difficult, and dangerous."

            "Where could they have gone?" inquired Lucius.

            "I don't know," Dumbledore said weakly.  There were tears in his eyes as he looked at the other three.  "But we _have_ to find her."

            Knight had only Apparated as far as the Gryffindor common room.  From there, he used Floo powder to transport himself and Minerva back to Ras Dashen.  "Well, Artawny, it looks like I've been successful this time," he said, throwing Minerva to the floor.  "We've got Dumbledore's little whore of a deputy headmistress.  He'll stop at nothing to get her back, and when he gets here, we'll be ready for him."

            "I thought," Artawny growled, "that this was about Lucius Malfoy."

            "It _is_ about Lucius Malfoy!" Knight snapped.  "But while we're at it, why not take down Dumbledore as well?"

            "You're going to fail," Minerva said wearily.  "Albus is too smart to fall for that."

            Knight rolled his eyes.  "Professor, has anyone ever told you how much of a bitch you are?"

            She didn't answer; instead, she reached for her wand.

            "Oh, no you don't," Knight said.  He pointed his wand at her.  "Crucio."

            Intense pain like nothing she had ever felt ripped through her body.  Minerva couldn't help but cry out in agony.  About thirty seconds later, Knight lowered his wand and released her from the spell.  It hurt to breathe, but she managed to inhale enough air to say, "It doesn't matter what you do to me.  You won't win."

            He let out a cruel laugh.  "I already have."  He cleared his throat and pointed his wand at her again.  "Crucio."


	28. The Final Hour, Part I

A/N: One word: Format. Microsoft Word, the program I *normally* use to write my stories, is being obnoxious: every time I try to open it, my computer freezes, so that makes it very difficult to make any progress. The format is going to be kind of funky until I can figure out what's going on with my computer. Chances are I'll repost this chapter and any more I have to do on WordPad (bleh!), but for now... just try to settle with messed up format, k? Cheese and rice, I hope this works...  
  
  
~~ Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Final Hour, Part I ~~  
  
  
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was in a frenzy.  
  
With the last shred of sanity left in him, Albus Dumbledore ordered all the students to return to their dormitories and stay there until further notice. House heads were to escort the students there, and then meet in the staff room to decide what was to be done. Remus Lupin said he would take the Gryffindors, and a teary-eyed Hagrid offered to carry the deceased Sibyll Trelawney to her chambers. Dumbledore agreed to both of their statements. Lucius Malfoy and Eko Chang asked what they should do, and Dumbledore told them to join the faculty members in the staff room.  
  
Draco Malfoy said good-bye to his friends from Gryffindor (and Ravenclaw, in Cho's case) and then followed Severus Snape and the rest of the Slytherins to their house common room. "You will all remain here until I say otherwise," Snape told them in a soft, but firm voice when they arrived. "No one is to leave under any circumstance."  
  
"Who did this, Professor Snape?" asked a fourth-year named Deanna Creston.  
  
"A former student named Icarus Knight," Snape answered. "He was brilliant and very powerful, but foolishly allied himself with those heavily involved in dark magic. That is all you need to know. Excuse me."  
  
Once Snape was gone, a pale-faced Pansy Parkinson weakly said, "So what happens now? Are they going to close the school again?"  
  
Victoria King, a seventh-year prefect, answered Pansy's question. "It's possible," she said. "They closed it when Su Li was killed, and she was a student. Now we've got one dead teacher and another that probably won't live too much longer."  
  
"All I can say," said Marcus Flint, "is that it's about time."  
  
All eyes went to the captain of Slytherin's Quidditch team. "What do you mean by that?" asked a sixth-year named Matt Schuman.  
  
"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Flint asked. "If deputy Dumbledore dies, head Dumbledore is going to be so devastated over her death that he probably won't be able to function anymore. He'll step down as headmaster, and who do you think will get the job? Snape."  
  
"Actually, the person next in line after deputy Dumbledore is Flitwick," said Victoria. "Then it's Sprout, and then Snape. The order of succession is determined by the heads of houses that have been here the longest. Flitwick's got twenty-five years on Sprout, and she's got nine on Snape."  
  
Flint rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I don't think Flitwick would make a very good headmaster, but he's better than either Dumbledore. At this rate, maybe he and Sprout will be the next ones to die."  
  
"I can't believe you'd say that," said Draco. "That's completely uncalled for."  
  
Flint looked at Draco, and a cruel smile crossed his face. "It looks like Malfoy's growing soft."  
  
Several students laughed nervously. The others remained quiet. They weren't sure who they should be more afraid of: Marcus Flint, Draco Malfoy, or Victoria King, who was beginning to look angry.  
  
"Maybe the Sorting Hat should have put you in Gryffindor, Malfoy," Flint continued, "seeing as that's where all your friends are. I think you've forgotten what it means to be a Slytherin."  
  
"Marcus," Victoria said warningly.  
  
"Shut up, Victoria."  
  
"No, you shut up, Flint!" Draco shouted. "I think you're the one that's forgotten what it means to be a Slytherin. Being a Slytherin means we have the greatest chance of becoming the most powerful and influential wizards in the world if we take the initiative and ally ourselves with those who can help us. It's not about bringing down Gryffindor."  
  
Flint laughed. "Of course it's about bringing down Gryffindor! It always has been! Slytherin and Gryffindor hated each other. Gryffindor kicked Slytherin out so Mudbloods could go to Hogwarts. We Slytherins have been avenging him ever since."  
  
"You think you know your history, do you?" Draco asked. "Well, I think you missed the part in the first edition of Hogwarts, A History, written by Rowena Ravenclaw herself, where it said Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin were best friends. Yes, they did disagree on who should be able to attend, and Slytherin left the school out of his own free will for that personal reason, not because he hated Gryffindor."  
  
"How did he ever get hold of a copy of a first edition of that book?" whispered Blaise Zabini to Vincent Crabbe. At present, there were only three known copies still in existence.  
  
Crabbe shrugged. "His father probably has one. He's got a lot of rare books."  
  
Lucius Malfoy did, in fact, own a first edition of Hogwarts, A History, but all those who knew that doubted Flint would care. "Yeah, right," Flint said, confirming the suspicions. "Ten Galleons says Gryffindor was fucking Ravenclaw and he told her to write that."  
  
"That's enough!" Victoria yelled. "Flint, Malfoy's right and you know it. And don't ever use that kind of language, especially around the first-years. This is why you were held back, you know, because you can't control yourself."  
  
Several students snickered. Seeing big bad Marcus Flint getting chided by a prefect was quite entertaining.  
  
Flint turned red in the face and announced that he was going to bed. Victoria had to stop the other students from cheering once he left the room.  
  
  
  
The last teacher to arrive in the staff room was Professor Sprout, head of Hufflepuff house. One of the first-years couldn't stop crying, and Sprout didn't want to leave until she was sure the traumatized young girl was going to be all right. Not even hugs from the handsome sixth-year prefect Cedric Diggory could get her to calm down. The girl eventually gave into exhaustion, and the ever-loyal Cedric offered to watch over her as she slept on one of the couches in the common room while Sprout met with the other teachers.  
  
Albus Dumbledore and Filius Flitwick were sitting in a couch off to the side. Dumbledore was in the only condition anyone in his situation would be expected to be in - completely incoherent. Flitwick wasn't doing much better. Trelawney had been a Ravenclaw, and seeing his former student and now former colleague die in such a horrible way disturbed the tiny little man greatly. Lucius Malfoy and Alina Terringer each had a hand on Dumbledore. Flitwick insisted that no one touch him.  
  
Upon seeing Sprout enter the room, Snape cleared his throat and began speaking. "You all know what has taken place, so I'm not going to waste any time by summarizing the events of this night," he began. "Sibyll's death was a terrible tragedy, and we will undoubtedly be feeling the sting of this loss for a long time, but right now, we have to focus on Minerva. It's quite possible that Knight will kill her..."  
  
Dumbledore covered his mouth with his hand and squeezed his eyes shut. Tears began trickling down his cheeks. Flitwick began crying again as well.  
  
"... but it's highly possible that she's not dead yet," Snape said. "Knight took her somewhere, but unless we can figure out where, I don't know what we can do for her."  
  
"Minerva's one of the most powerful witches in the world," commented Professor Sinistra. "Shouldn't she be able to fight him?"  
  
"Cornelius Fudge was also one of the most powerful wizards in the world," said Eko Chang. "I have no doubt that Minerva could crush him in a 'fair' fight, but Knight plays dirty. He's been trained by Voldemort himself, and he has a Nundu - a Nundu. Fudge didn't stand a chance."  
  
"Yes, but Knight also wanted to kill Fudge," said Lucius. "I don't think he wants to kill Minerva. She's bait, like Oliver Wood and Hermione Granger were."  
  
"But if we don't take this bait," said Snape, "he'll kill her."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. "No," he said softly, "he won't kill her. He'll break her. He'll use torture. He'll make it slow and painful. Minerva's strong, but not even she can withstand something like the Cruciatus Curse for long, which Knight can and will most likely use. What awaits her is a fate worse than death."  
  
  
  
Thousands of miles away, in Knight's fortress at Ras Dashen, the dark wizard stopped inflicting the Cruciatus Curse on Minerva Dumbledore long enough for her to regain some coherent thought. The pain was excruciating, but she knew she had to fight it. If she didn't, then there was no hope at all.  
  
As soon as her mind had the capacity to do so, she forced a thought through the pain. Ras Dashen, she thought, trying desperately to send a telepathic message to the one person who might be able to hear her. He's hiding at Ras Dashen.  
  
"Crucio."  
  
She lost control of the thought as her body felt like it was being torn apart from the inside out.  
  
  
  
"MINERVA!" Dumbledore suddenly shouted, leaping to his feet. All those present in the staff room gave the headmaster a surprised look. Dumbledore was looking only at Snape. "I heard her voice inside my head, Severus. They're somewhere called Ras Dashen."  
  
"Ras Dashen?" Alina repeated. "That's a mountain in Ethiopia."  
  
"Ethiopia... of course!" said Snape. "The Nundu! East Africa! That makes perfect sense."  
  
"That does," said Lucius, "but how they got there doesn't."  
  
"He probably Apparated into the Great Hall," Chang said, "but I don't know how he could have gotten there all the way from Ethiopia, much less taken Minerva back with him. It's possible to Apparate with another person if you're powerful enough, but you can't go very far."  
  
"You're the world's foremost expert in Apparation, Minister Chang," said Snape. "How far could you have taken another person?"  
  
Chang shook his head. "A kilometer, tops."  
  
"So how did he get from here to Ethiopia with Minerva as his hostage?" asked Lupin.  
  
"Floo powder?" Sprout halfheartedly suggested.  
  
"Floo powder!" Snape shouted. He pointed his finger at Lupin. "Remus, go to the Gryffindor common room and check for traces of Floo powder in the fireplace."  
  
Lupin nodded and headed for the exit. "On my way."  
  
  
  
In a closet behind Snape, hidden underneath an invisibility cloak, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger all looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces. "Why the Gryffindor common room?" asked Ron.  
  
"Shh," Hermione whispered. "Maybe we'll find out."  
  
  
  
Lupin returned a few minutes later. "There's Floo powder there, all right," he said. "Knight must have traveled there by Floo powder, Apparated to the Great Hall, snatched Minerva, Apparated back to the Gryffindor common room, and used Floo powder again to get back to Ras Dashen."  
  
"That's good enough for me," said Snape. "Dumbledore, Malfoy, Chang, you coming?"  
  
Dumbledore, Chang, and Lucius all looked at each other. Chang spoke for all three of them. "Of course we are."  
  
"I'm coming, too," Alina insisted. "You'll need my power."  
  
Snape said it was too dangerous, but then Lucius pointed out that she was probably right, so the Potions Master reluctantly agreed. He then began to give the other teachers instructions. "The rest of you have to watch over the school and make sure no one enters or leaves," he said. "Give us an hour. If we aren't back by then..."  
  
He paused, and looked at Lucius, Alina, Dumbledore, Chang, and then back at Lucius again. All of them had identical expressions on their faces: a mixture of hope and anxiety.  
  
Snape gave his robes a shake and began walking toward the exit. "If we aren't back in an hour, wait longer."  
  
  
  
"Are you two thinking what I'm thinking?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione nodded. "Probably. Are we going to follow them?"  
  
"Definitely," was Harry's reply, "but we'll have to get Draco."  
  
"Then what," said Ron, "are we waiting for?"  
  
Hermione nodded toward the teachers that still occupied the staff room. "For them to leave, so we can slip out unnoticed."  
  
Ron blinked. "Oh."  
  
  
  
Knight lowered his wand and chuckled as he watched Minerva endure the after-effects of the curse. He loved seeing people suffer, and even more so when the person was someone he had hated for a long time, as he had with her. He hated her from the moment she placed the Sorting Hat on his head when he came to Hogwarts in 1971. He hated the way she would take fifty points away from his house and then give him detention when she caught him sneaking out to train secretly under Voldemort in the forest. He hated the zeal and conviction with which she supported Dumbledore, who had probably once been great, but was now nothing more than an old fool. He hated the way she said his name when she took roll and the way she would look at him when he was in her class, like she knew there was something false about him. He could only imagine what she was thinking when he vanished in 1976. She was probably glad he was gone, but not as glad as he was to be rid of her. That had only been temporary, though - soon, he would truly be rid of her.  
  
Minerva's mind was burning with pain so intense that it was almost impossible for her to find her conscious self again. Fight it, she told herself as thoughts slowly began to take shape through the agony. Wand... pocket...  
  
"Just give in, Minerva," Knight taunted. "You know you can't take much more of this."  
  
Never. In the blink of an eye, her wand was out and pointed at Knight. "Expelliarmus!"  
  
A blast of light hit her enemy, and he stumbled backwards. In the cage nearby, the Nundu let out a roar. Knight rose to his feet and said, "So, you want to play that way? I can do that, too."  
  
He pointed his wand at her and prepared to cast a charm that would stun her, but before he could, she shouted, "Conjunctivitis!" Then she dropped to the floor again as pain overtook her.  
  
Knight let out a cry of anger and frustration as his vision became blurred and distorted. He couldn't see where she was, and was therefore unable to take aim. "Relashio!" he said, aiming his wand where he thought she was.  
  
It turned out that he was actually pointing the wand at Artawny, and when the jet of firey sparks hit the Nundu, it roared in anger and thundered, "Fool! Hit her!"  
  
"I'm trying!" Knight said. The room slowly began to come into focus again.  
  
"Accio!"  
  
Knight's wand flew out of his hand and into hers. "No!" he yelled, and rushed at Minerva, who was still struggling to sit upright again.  
  
"Impedimenta!" she said.  
  
He came to a halt, unable to move forward anymore.  
  
Minerva now had his wand as well as her own. She slowly stood up, a very difficult task because every time she moved, pain would shoot through her body, an effect of the Cruciatus Curse that hadn't worn off yet. "I told you you wouldn't win," she said, pointing both wands at him. "My colleagues will locate me, and when they do, you will be taken to Azkaban and your Nundu destroyed."  
  
Knight laughed. "My Nundu?" he said. "No, Minerva, you have it wrong. Artawny is not my pet, he is my partner. We're in this together, and it'll take more than a few charms for you to stop him."  
  
Minerva looked at Artawny. The Nundu's skin began to quiver, and suddenly, it completely vanished in a puff of smoke. The smoke trailed out through the bars of the cage and into the open room, where it condensed back into its original form. It opened its mouth as if to roar, but instead, a noxious green gas escaped from its throat.  
  
"Guess what, Minerva?" Knight said. "You have an hour to live." 


	29. The Final Hour, Part II

~~ Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Final Hour, Part II ~~  
  
  
  
There were protests, of course, and requests for explanations, but Severus Snape, Albus Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, Eko Chang, and Alina Terringer managed to get all the Gryffindors out of the common room and upstairs into their dormitories. Their reason for doing this was so no students would attempt to follow them. Courage could get out of hand, and it frequently did with Gryffindors.  
  
Once the room was empty, Snape looked at his companions and said, "Are we ready?"  
  
"It doesn't matter whether or not we're ready," said Chang. "All that matters is Professor Dumbledore."  
  
Snape nodded. "Very well, I can see we're all ready. Lucius, you have the Floo powder?"  
  
Lucius held up a small sack containing the desired item. They all took a handful. Lucius put the sack in his pocket, and all five of them stepped into the fireplace. "Ready?" said Snape. "On three. One... two... three!"  
  
"RAS DASHEN!"  
  
  
  
"They're gone," Harry Potter said to Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley once the last teacher had left the staff room. "Let's go."  
  
Ron pushed the closet door open, and the three of them tumbled out onto the floor. It wasn't easy for three people to hide in one small closet, and they were beginning to feel slightly claustrophobic.  
  
"We've got to get Malfoy," Harry said, standing up and brushing off his robes.  
  
"But how are we going to get into the Slytherin common room?" asked Ron. "We know where the entrance is, but we don't know the password!"  
  
"On the contrary," said Harry with a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes, "we do. Draco and I thought something like this might happen, so we traded passwords when Dumbledore made everyone leave the Great Hall."  
  
Hermione's eyes grew wide with shock. "Harry," she said sternly, "that's not allowed."  
  
"You should talk, Miss Let's-get-the-invisibility-cloak-and-eavesdrop-on-the-teachers'-conversation," said Ron.  
  
Hermione glared at him. He glared back.  
  
"Hey, none of that," said Harry, and his two friends stopped shooting nasty looks at each other. "It's not about rule-breaking and what is and isn't allowed. This is about Professor Dumbledore's life. Icarus Knight is as deadly a foe as Voldemort, and if we don't help, someone's going to die. Knight already killed Trelawney, Fudge, Su Li, Draco's mother, an Auror, and Professor Terringer's parents. That list is long enough."  
  
Ron and Hermione were now smiling, and Hermione said, "Let's get Malfoy."  
  
  
  
The password "green serpent" let Harry, Ron, and Hermione into the Slytherin common room. They spotted Draco sitting on a couch by himself, reading. Harry nodded toward him, and the three of them slowly walked over to their friend. "Draco," Harry whispered, "don't move. It's Harry. Ron, Hermione, and I are underneath an invisibility cloak right behind you."  
  
"You're really sneaky, Potter," Draco said softly, not even blinking.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Come on, we've got to go."  
  
Draco looked around the room, and then came up with an idea. "Follow me up to my room," he said. "As soon as we're out of sight, I'll get under the cloak, and then we can sneak out."  
  
The three Gryffindors agreed to the plan, and Draco set his book down and told Victoria King that he was going up to his room. Victoria acknowledged his statement with a nod of her head, and Draco began walking up the staircase with his invisible companions right behind him. "Are you still there?" he asked once they rounded a corner and could no longer be seen by those in the common room.  
  
"Right here," said Harry, and held up one end of the cloak so Draco could join them. "Oh, and watch your elbows. It gets really crowded with three of us under here, and you make four."  
  
"I'm surprised it's still covering us," said Ron as they walked back down the stairs.  
  
"Shh," said Hermione as they arrived back in the Slytherin common room.  
  
They slowly made their way to the exit, and once out, began running as fast as they dared to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
  
  
A wave of nausea swept over Minerva Dumbledore as the fumes from the Nundu's mouth entered her lungs, and she became so light-headed that she slumped to the floor. Her breathing and heart rate began to accelerate. She lifted her eyes and looked at Icarus Knight, who was laughing. "I told you I would win, Professor," he said. "Who's going to save you now?"  
  
Even the Nundu seemed to be laughing. Artawny emitted a sound from the depths of his throat that sounded like a combination between thunder and an avalanche. The deadly creature turned his attention away from Minerva and walked over to Knight, who spoke again. "It looks like it's all over, Minerva."  
  
"It's never over," she said. "It doesn't matter what you do to me."  
  
Knight sighed wistfully and walked over to her. "He was always talking about you, you know," he said, sinking down to his knees next to his former professor. "How intelligent and resourceful you were, and how powerful... He loved you, Minerva."  
  
"Who?" she asked. "Albus?"  
  
He chuckled. So did Artawny, although the Nundu's version of it sounded more like falling rock. "Sorry, not Albus Dumbledore," Knight answered. "Tom Riddle. Voldemort."  
  
Voldemort? She felt her stomach lurch. "No."  
  
"Yes. He once told me about the first time he saw you. The first-years were walking into the Great Hall. I believe that would be your third year. Anyway, he looked over at the Gryffindor table, and he saw you. His heart just gave a little leap, and from that moment on, he was crazy about you. He always said the hat put you in the wrong house, that you should have been a Slytherin, but you know, I'm not so sure I agree with him."  
  
Minerva was disgusted. So it must have been Tom Riddle that was sending her singing Valentines until she graduated. And all this time I thought it was Ludo Bagman, she thought, remembering another boy a few years younger who had a crush on her during their time as students. Ludo didn't seem like the type that would send singing Valentines, anyway. Not that Tom Riddle was, either, but...  
  
Knight continued. "Why might it be, Minerva, that I think you made a better Gryffindor than a Slytherin?"  
  
"Does it really matter?" she asked. "All my friends thought I should be in Ravenclaw."  
  
"But the hat put you in Gryffindor," he said. "And as we all know, the hat is never wrong."  
  
She didn't like the way he said "never"; his tone was mocking and patronizing. "As much as I admire Godric Gryffindor, I don't think his hat made the right decision with you, Knight."  
  
"Oh, I think it did," he replied. "You see, the Slytherins, all they want is power. They don't care about loyalty. They'll turn away from someone at the first sign of weakness, as in the case of your friend Lucius Malfoy."  
  
"Voldemort betrayed him," Minerva said.  
  
"Wrong!" Knight said. "He betrayed Voldemort! He could see that the Dark Lord wasn't as strong as he once was and that it wouldn't be in his best interest to stay by Voldemort's side. So after the... incident last year with the Chamber of Secrets, Malfoy denied any and all connection with Voldemort. You can imagine how devastated he was. Lucius was his right-hand man."  
  
Her heart rate stopped accelerating and began to slow back down again. Her body, however, was still demanding the same amount of oxygen as before, so her breathing came in short, quick gasps.  
  
"But that was all right." He stood up and walked over the cage that formerly held Artawny and began drumming his fingers against the iron bars absentmindedly. "You see, Minerva, Tom Riddle was left-handed, both literally and figuratively. He knew he wouldn't always be able to trust Malfoy, so he recruited someone else: me." Knight stepped away from the cage and strolled back over to his previous spot, next to the Nundu. "After all, if you can't trust a Gryffindor, who can you trust?"  
  
Minerva's breathing slowly returned to normal as well, but now her head was starting to throb.  
  
"You're a good witch, Minerva," Knight said, "but you could have been great, and he could have made you so. He wanted to. He knew how powerful you were. He knew what you two could have done, working together, side by side. Instead, you chose to hide behind Dumbledore. You won't live to see it, but I can assure you that Voldemort will fall, and it'll even be one of your Gryffindors who defeats him; except I don't think it's the Gryffindor you had in mind... and I believe your time is now at fifty minutes."  
  
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard, and a bright flash of light filled the room. Artawny roared. Knight held up his arms to cover his face. The blinding light forced Minerva to shield her eyes as well, and when she was able to open them again, she could have sworn she was dreaming.  
  
In the fireplace stood Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, Alina Terringer, Eko Chang, and Albus Dumbledore.  
  
"It's over, Knight!" Snape shouted. "Surrender!"  
  
"No, Severus, it's never over until it's over," Knight replied, "and believe me, this is far from over." He pointed his wand at Snape and said, "Crucio."  
  
Snape hadn't endured such pain since his initiation into the ranks of the Death Eaters. His body felt like it was being ripped apart, and in his struggle to fight it, he lost the ability to stand and collapsed to the floor.  
  
As soon as Snape fell, Lucius's wand was out, and he used a disarming spell to cause Knight's wand to fall out of his hand and Knight to fly backward into the wall. He hit the wall, and then dropped to the floor. "Not this again," Knight grumbled, and rose to his feet. "Artawny, finish them."  
  
"With pleasure," Artawny growled, and stepped toward his enemies.  
  
Dumbledore spotted his wife lying on the ground and began running toward her. "Oh, no you don't, Professor," Knight said, snatching his wand off the ground. "Impedimenta!"  
  
The charm jerked Dumbledore to a stop. Minerva saw him approaching and feebly reached for him. She didn't have enough strength to hold her arm up for long, though, and it soon fell back down to the floor.  
  
"We have to do something," said Lucius.  
  
"But what?" asked Chang.  
  
"There's a Nundu walking toward us," said Alina. "I'd say anything's good right about now."  
  
Because he didn't have a better idea, Chang pulled out his wand and pointed it at Artawny. "Expecto Patronum!"   
  
Out of his wand came a silvery, phantom-like image of a fox. Chang's Patronus charged at the Nundu. Artawny lifted one of his large paws and sliced right the through the ghostly fox, and it vanished, leaving behind only a few wisps of silver smoke.  
  
"The Patronus Charm has no effect on a Nundu," Knight informed them. "Just thought I'd let you know."  
  
"That's obvious," Chang grumbled. Artawny continued to advance.  
  
Dumbledore broke through the Impedimenta charm and closed the remaining distance between himself and Minerva with a few quick strides. He dropped to his knees next to her and gently hoisted her into his lap. Knight looked at them, and a cruel smile crossed his face. "You two are so ridiculously endearing that I almost don't have the heart to seperate you in your last hour together," he said. "No, wait... make that forty-five minutes."  
  
"How can this be possible?" Dumbledore said. "How can you be alive? I killed you."  
  
Even Artawny stopped moving at that one. All eyes, including the Nundu's, went to Knight to see what his reaction would be.  
  
An amused smirk crossed Knight's face. "No, Professor Dumbledore, you killed Peter Pettigrew." 


	30. The Final Hour, Part III

~~ Chapter Thirty: The Final Hour, Part III ~~  
  
  
  
For almost a full minute, no one spoke. Finally, Snape choked, "Pettigrew?"  
  
Knight nodded. "That's right, Pettigrew. You see, I knew you were starting to suspect that I was connected to Voldemort, Professor Dumbledore, so you left me with no other choice. Polyjuice Potion really is wonderful stuff. So is the Imperius Curse."  
  
"So you used the Imperius Curse on Peter Pettigrew, and then you both drank Polyjuice Potion so everyone would think you were him?" asked Lucius.  
  
"Only in the beginning," Knight said. "It doesn't last very long. It got to be too troublesome to be constantly making it, not to mention I had lost my host, so Voldemort transfigured me into Pettigrew's likeness for the next five years." He then noticed the dumbfounded looks on all of their faces and threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, don't give me those looks. You don't think the real Peter Pettigrew would have betrayed Lily and James Potter, do you?"  
  
"Go to Hell, Knight."  
  
"You first, Malfoy."  
  
Artawny seemed to agree with Knight's statement, and continued to advance toward Snape, Chang, Lucius, and Alina. As the Nundu drew closer, Alina began to hum softly. When that had no effect, she hummed louder. Artawny kept coming.  
  
"What is she doing?" Chang whispered to Lucius.  
  
Never breaking from her melody, Alina said, "Trust me, Minister, you will see."  
  
Artawny stopped. Alina continued to hum.  
  
"What?" Knight said in disbelief. "Artawny! Advance! Kill them!"  
  
Artawny snapped out of the trance Alina's song had put him in. She broke away from humming and turned to random words in the same melody, which was louder and slightly more effective. "Ah na la coo nay lo co mah..."  
  
The Nundu's forward movement stopped again.  
  
"Incredible," said an awestruck Dumbledore. "Are you seeing this, Minerva? ... Minerva?"  
  
Her breathing was coming in short gasps again, and she was losing more strength with every passing second. "Yes, Albus," she said softly.  
  
If the look in Dumbledore's eyes as he glared at Knight had been any angrier, the effect his gaze had would rival that of a Basilisk's. "What have you done to her?" he demanded.  
  
"Me?" Knight said, chuckling. "Technically, I didn't do anything. She's been subjected to the Nundu's Curse, and I am obviously not a Nundu. Artawny is, though, and it was he who inflicted it upon her. The Nundu's Curse kills within an hour. I believe Minerva has forty minutes left." He looked at Artawny, and was very angry to see that Alina had brought him to a stop again. "Artawny! Kill them!"  
  
"We have to silence Knight," Chang realized. "His voice will bring the Nundu out of the trance."  
  
As soon as those words left Chang's lips, a voice from behind them shouted, "Silencius!"  
  
The voice belonged to Hermione Granger. Standing beside her were Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Draco Malfoy. The others were only partly surprised to see them. Given Harry's reputation for thwarting evil and the conviction of Ron, Hermione, and now Draco to support their friend and also contribute to the cause themselves, it was almost a given that they would show up.  
  
Anyway, they didn't have any time to be surprised. Knight's order left him before Hermione cast her silencing charm, and it broke Alina's hold on Artawny again. The Nundu roared and took a swing at them with its large paw. It hit Snape, who in turn crashed into Ron and Hermione. The three of them were cast aside as easily as if they had been pencils. Chang, Draco, and Harry were the next three to be knocked away. Artawny then turned his attention to the last two: Lucius and Alina.  
  
Alina began to sing louder. Artawny slowed down some, but he still kept coming. The Nundu was beginning to build up a tolerance to her enchantment, and that meant she would have to work harder for the same effect. Lucius, meanwhile, had never felt more helpless in his life. He wanted to help, but he didn't know how. He knew almost nothing about Musical Enchantment, so any attempt to help Alina with the Nundu would most likely do more harm than good. Because he didn't no what else to do, he decided to ask. "What can I do to help you?" he asked in a hoarse whisper.  
  
"You're helping me right now, believe it or not," she sang. "Stay right where you are; I'll explain later."  
  
Artawny was now advancing at the rate of one step every few seconds. Hermione's silencing charm was starting to lose its effect, and traces of Knight's voice could be heard as he desperately yelled at the Nundu. Suddenly, Draco had an idea. "Hey, Harry," he said, "do you remember that time we were dueling last year, and I made that snake come out of my wand, and you got it to back off when it started moving toward Justin Finch-Fletchley?"  
  
Harry cringed. Yes, he remembered the incident - quite well, actually. It took him some time to convince the Hufflepuffs as well as the rest of the school that he wasn't the dreaded Heir of Slytherin. "Well, it's good to know someone doesn't think I was trying to get that snake to attack," he said.  
  
"Do you think you COULD get one to attack? Not someone like Justin, of course, but maybe someone like..."  
  
Harry was beginning to see where Draco was going with this, and a sly grin crossed his face. "Icarus Knight?"  
  
Draco smiled, too. "Yeah. Someone like Icarus Knight."  
  
"It's worth a shot."  
  
Draco pulled his wand out and pointed it at the ground. "Serpensortia!"  
  
A large black serpent shot out from the end of Draco's wand and landed on the floor. It lifted its head, and its pink tongue flicked in and out of its mouth as it took in its surroundings. "Get Knight," was what Harry heard his voice say, but to everyone else in the room, it sounded like, "Haah saflo."  
  
Whatever it was, the snake understood, and it began to slide toward Knight. Knight, however, had broken through the silencing charm and shouted an order at the Nundu. "Artawny! Silence the siren for good!"  
  
Knight's voice caused Artawny to break through Alina's hold on him again, and he snarled and struck at her. Lucius attempted to pull her away before the Nundu's sharp claws made contact with her skin, but was too slow. Artawny didn't penetrate deeply enough to kill, but his strike did leave four long cuts across Alina's chest, and she fell.  
  
Once Alina was put out of comission, Artawny leapt over to the serpent moving toward Knight and sliced the large black snake in half as easily as a hot knife cuts through butter. "Great," Draco muttered. "What do we do now?"  
  
For a moment, it looked like Knight had indeed won. Harry and Draco's serpent had failed. Ron, Hermione, Snape, and Chang were out of ideas. Lucius removed his outer robe and tied it around Alina to stop the bleeding, but it could only delay death unless she received medical attention soon. Minerva was so weak she could barely lift her head by herself. Even the great Dumbledore seemed to have met his match.  
  
Knight looked at Minerva and chuckled. "You were saying?" He then lifted his eyes slightly so they met Dumbledore's, and said, "Even if you could kill me, do you think you would really want to? For all you know, I could be Minerva. How do you know I haven't put her under the Imperius Curse and used Polyjuice Potion, just like I did with Peter Pettigrew?"  
  
"Don't listen to him, Albus," Minerva choked. "He's lying. He's playing with your mind."  
  
"Am I?" Knight said, and then added, "Albus?"  
  
The room was dead quiet. A full minute passed before anyone spoke. The person that broke the silence was Knight. "You can't really trust anyone, can you, Professor Dumbledore?" he asked. "Not even yourself."  
  
  
***  
  
It was about an hour past sunset on November 3, 1976. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was walking back to his office after a lengthy discussion about switching spells with the Charms teacher, Filius Flitwick, and the Transfiguration teacher, Minerva McGonagall. He had a great amount of respect for all of his colleagues, but even more so when it came to those two. Flitwick's small stature betrayed his skill - there was none who could outdo him in a wizard's duel. And McGonagall... he didn't even know where to begin with her. He could tell from the moment he met her some forty years ago that she would be a great and powerful witch someday, and she had certainly lived up to his expectations.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore!"  
  
A student's voice from behind brought Dumbledore's mind out of his thoughts. He stopped walking and turned around. A tall girl with gray eyes and light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail had come out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and was jogging toward him. She was wearing the robes of Hufflepuff house and a prefect badge. "Is something wrong, Miss Jorkins?"  
  
"It's Icarus," replied the girl, Bertha Jorkins by name. "He wanted to have a prefect meeting tonight in Professor Mandias's room, and he hasn't shown up. For a while, we thought he was just running late, but..."  
  
"How long have you been waiting?"  
  
"Half an hour, and he wouldn't forget something like this."  
  
That was probably reasonable grounds for concern. Icarus Knight, the sixth-year prefect for Gryffindor house, was always on a tight schedule and hated being late. "Do you think something might have happened to him?" Bertha asked.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't know, Miss Jorkins. Are the other Gryffindor prefects there?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Tell them to meet me at the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. We'll go investigate."  
  
Bertha thanked him and ran back into the DADA classroom. Dumbledore began walking again, but this time, he was heading for the Gryffindor tower. He trusted that Abby Stravinsky, Gryffindor's fifth-year prefect, and Frank Longbottom, the seventh-year prefect, didn't need him to lead them back to their house.  
  
Frank and Abby arrived at the portait of the Fat Lady not long after Dumbledore did. Abby spoke the password. "Concerto Number Three in E flat!"  
  
The portrait swung open, and the three of them went inside. Surprisingly, the room was almost completely empy, save for the five sixth-years sitting in a circle in the middle of the room around something. They were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, and Lily Evans. Sirius spotted them first and smiled. "Hi, Professor!" he said cheerfully. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Icarus Knight appears to have gone missing," Dumbledore said. "Have any of you seen him?"  
  
Peter shifted his weight uneasily.  
  
Dumbledore saw his slight movement, and he instantly knew that Peter knew something. "Come with me, Mr. Pettigrew."  
  
He and Peter walked up the staircase that led to the boys' dormitories until they were out of the sight of the others. "You know something about Knight, don't you?" the headmaster asked.  
  
Peter looked terrified. "Y-yes," he stammered, "b-b-but I c-can't t-tell you."  
  
"And why not?"  
  
Peter just shook his head.  
  
"Peter," Dumbledore said softly, but firmly, "tell me where Knight is."  
  
"I can't tell you, Professor," Peter said.  
  
"If he's in trouble, then I need to know where he is so I can help him. Tell me where he is, Mr. Pettigrew."  
  
Peter clenched his eyes shut and whispered, "He made me promise not to tell, or..."  
  
"Or what?"  
  
"Or he'd kill me."  
  
Dumbledore's eyes flew open with shock. "I swear on my life that if you do not tell me where he is right now, Peter Pettigrew, I will have Professor Danner make enough Veritaserum to make it so your grandchildren won't be able to lie."  
  
Peter covered his face in fear. "Please don't, Professor! I can't!"  
  
Dumbledore realized his threat was out of line, but the situation was so severe that he didn't feel any remorse. "Peter, we can protect you. Just tell me where he is."  
  
"He went into the Forbidden Forest," said Peter. "That's all I know! You hear me, Professor Dumbledore? That's all, I swear!"  
  
But Dumbledore was already gone.  
  
  
  
He wandered through the forest for half an hour, looking for Icarus Knight. Finally, he found him, standing alone in a small clearing. A smirk crossed his face when he saw Dumbledore. "Let me guess," Knight said. "Pettigrew told you. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that little rat."  
  
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and pointed it at the sixth-year prefect who had, up until half an hour ago, been a model student. "He said you threatened to kill him," he said. "Now that I have found you out here, I have no reason to doubt what he said. You will be expelled immediately, and I am placing you under arrest."  
  
In an instant, Knight had his wand out, too, and pointed it at the headmaster. "Crucio!"  
  
The Cruciatus Curse was almost impossible to block, but Dumbledore was no ordinary wizard, and he cast a Shield Charm powerful enough to stop one of the three Unforgivable Curses from hitting him. Death threats were one thing. By casting the Cruciatus Curse, even though it didn't hit the target, Knight had sealed his fate: life imprisonment in Azkaban.  
  
Knight didn't expect Dumbledore to block, and Dumbledore took advantage of his surprise. He pointed his wand at the ground near Knight's feet and shouted, "Incendio!"  
  
A ring of fire appeared the student, trapping him in place. "I am placing you under arrest," he said. "First, you threatened a fellow student, and then you attempted to use the Cruciatus Curse. I hope, Mr. Knight, for your sake, that you know a very good lawyer."  
  
"I'm not done yet," Knight said, and pointed his wand at a large boulder at the opposite end of the clearing. "Accio!"  
  
Dumbledore looked over his shoulder, and saw the huge rock flying at him. He did the only thing he could - duck. The boulder flew harmlessly over him and straight into Icarus Knight.  
  
He looked up, and fear seized his heart as he saw that the boulder had smashed into Knight. He extinguished the flames and ran over to the student. Knight was pinned between the rock and a large tree. Blood poured from several cuts all over his body that he sustained upon impact, and his eyes stared blankly ahead. Dumbledore reached for his bloody wrist and tried to find a pulse. There was none.  
  
Icarus Knight was dead.  
  
***  
  
And for the longest time, he really did think Icarus Knight was dead, but now, that was obviously not the case. So that's why Peter Pettigrew knew where Knight went - because Pettigrew really was Knight. In actuality, Knight's - or rather, Pettigrew's death hadn't really been his fault, but Dumbledore still felt guilty. If he had stunned the young man, or used a sleeping spell or something along that line instead of trying to capture him as was, they might have been able to discover the switch. And who knew what that could have changed? Certainly, Peter Pettigrew would still be alive. So would everyone Knight killed with the Nundu. And so might Lily and James Potter. His heart was heavy with grief. How could he have been such a fool?  
  
"Feeling guilty, Dumbledore?" Knight taunted. "Causing the death of an innocent... that's a big thing, you know."  
  
"You killed him," Dumbledore said. "You killed him the minute you put him under the Imperius Curse."  
  
"Are you sure you're talking to the right person?" Knight asked. "How do you know I'm really me and not, say, Minerva? You were wrong last time."  
  
"Don't believe him, Albus," said Minerva. "He's lying."  
  
Knight laughed. "She's right, you know," he said. "The real Minerva wouldn't do this." He pointed his wand at hear, cleared his throat, and said, "Avada Kedavra."  
  
"NOOOOOO!!!"  
  
For a moment, Dumbledore thought he was the one that yelled. When he realized that it wasn't him, he thought it might have been Minerva, but it wasn't. And it wasn't Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Alina, Lucius, Chang, or Snape, either. It came from the last one any of them ever thought it would.  
  
Artawny. 


	31. The Final Hour, Part IV

~~ Chapter Thirty-One: The Final Hour, Part IV ~~  
  
  
  
When the green light from the Killing Curse faded, Minerva was not dead.  
  
Icarus Knight, however, was.  
  
Overcome with shock, Minerva slowly lifted her hand into the air and looked at it, amazed that she even had the strength to do so. "What the... how is this possible?"  
  
Albus Dumbledore was equally surprised. "Y-you're alive," he stammered. "You survived the Killing Curse."  
  
"Not survived," Artawny thundered. "Escaped. It was deflected by something even stronger: the Nundu's Curse. That fool Knight did not know that the only way to remove a Nundu's Curse is with the Killing Curse, which in turn kills the one who cast it. The Nundu's Curse always claims a life, but in this case, it was not the life intended to be taken. He has paid the ultimate price for his stupidity, and now you will, too!"  
  
With a roar, the furious Nundu lunged at the two of them. Dumbledore threw himself on top of Minerva and rolled over, taking her with him and getting them both out of harm's way. Artawny slid on the slippery floor several feet, long enough for the two humans to get back on their feet and run over to their companions near the fireplace. All were amazed by the events that had just taken place, but now was not the time to revel in the unexpected defeat of Icarus Knight. They had something bigger to worry about - Artawny.  
  
"Really mad Nundu," said Ron. "What do we do?"  
  
"Confess your deepest, darkest secret," Draco replied, "and make it snappy, because here it comes."  
  
Artawny was starting to come out of his slide.  
  
"Not yet," Chang said. "I have an idea, but it's risky and it might not work."  
  
"Hey, at least you have an idea," said Harry. "That's good enough for me."  
  
"Hurry, Eko," said Dumbledore. "He's regaining control."  
  
"Everyone grab the hand of the person next to you," Chang instructed. "Now!"  
  
Ron cringed as he realized that he was standing between Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy, but did as the Minister of Magic instructed anyway.  
  
Once he was sure they were all connected, Chang shouted, "APPAREO!"  
  
All ten of them vanished, and in the blink of an eye, reappeared in the hallway just outside the room they were in.  
  
"Albus! Room-sealing spell! Now!" Chang yelled, and then fainted.  
  
"What happened, Professor?" Hermione asked after Dumbledore cast the room-sealing spell on the room that now contained a Nundu enraged beyond comprehension. "What did Minister Chang do?"  
  
"He Apparated all of us out of there," Dumbledore realized. "In all my life, I've never... He could have died doing that. Never before have I seen such a difficult spell of this intensity performed."  
  
Minerva dropped to her knees next to Chang and lifted his head into her lap. "Minerva," Snape said, "is he dead?"  
  
Minerva closed her eyes and shook her head. Tears of relief began falling down her cheeks. "He's alive," she informed them, "but barely. If we don't get him medical attention soon, he'll die." She opened her eyes and looked at Alina, who was also laying on the ground with Lucius's blood-stained outer robe pressed to the cuts on her chest. "The same goes for Professor Terringer. We've got to get out of here."  
  
"But the Nundu!" said Harry. "If it gets out of there, there's no telling what it will do!"  
  
"He's right," Alina said in a voice so soft it could barely be heard. "You must stop the Nundu."  
  
"How?" asked Ron. "It's so powerful."  
  
A loud crash was heard. Artawny was throwing himself against the door in hopes to break it open.  
  
"And it never gives up," he added.  
  
"That sounds like some people I know," Dumbledore said, looking at each of them individually, save for the unconscious Chang. "We are nine. He is but one."  
  
There was another crash.  
  
"He's also a Nundu," Snape pointed out. "I'd say that's good for about fifteen of us."  
  
"Nothing is invincible," Dumbledore said. "Not e-"  
  
He was interrupted by yet another loud crash.  
  
"Not even a Nundu," he finished.  
  
"Well, we could always pray for a natural disaster," Ron suggested, "like an earthquake or something."  
  
At that moment, the room gave a slight tremble.  
  
When the shaking stopped, Dumbledore looked at Ron and said, "Have you ever considered studying to become a Seer, Mr. Weasley?"  
  
"I think he should," said Harry. "He's really good at this prediction stuff."  
  
"Did I really just predict an earthquake?" asked Ron.  
  
The room shook again.  
  
"It would appear so, Mr. Weasley," said Snape.  
  
Hermione walked over to the door that led into the room they were just in and looked at it carefully. "I don't think it's an earthquake," she said. "We aren't on a fault line, so I don't see how it could be."  
  
Ron snapped his fingers. "Blast. And just when I was thinking I had some skills my brothers don't."  
  
"Don't worry, Ron," said Hermione. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to prove your competence in Divination some other time." She pressed her ear to the door for a moment, then pulled away and said, "Professor Dumbledore, what do you know about Nundus?"  
  
"I think she was talking to you, Albus," Minerva said when she saw her husband looking at her. "I know more about pop culture than I do about Nundus."  
  
"They're extremely rare and native to East Africa," Dumbledore began. "They are considered to be the most dangerous creatures in existence. Their breath carries disease and death, including what we now know as the Nundu's Curse."  
  
"Can they change size?" asked Hermione.  
  
There was another tremble, and a crash from inside the room.  
  
Dumbledore realized what Hermione was postulating in that shrewd little mind of hers, and said, "Yes, Miss Granger, I believe they can change size."  
  
"The Nundu is expanding himself in order to break out of that room," Hermione concluded. "That's what's causing what we thought might have been an earthquake. Do you think he can break out of there?"  
  
Hermione's question wasn't answered by Dumbledore, but rather, by the walls around them exploding. Snape managed to cast a shield charm just before the falling debris crushed them. Artawny was bigger and madder than ever.  
  
Ron looked up at the enraged Nundu, who was now bigger than an elephant. "So, um, who wants to go first with that deepest, darkest secret thing?"  
  
Suddenly, Lucius got an idea. "The underbelly," he realized, and transfigured a piece of nearby rock into a sword. "Cover me," he told the others.  
  
Snape's eyes grew wide with shock. "Lucius, what are you doing?"  
  
"Severus, I have an idea. Just trust me. And if I don't live through this, I love you all in whatever sense of the word applies to you." He picked up the sword and made his way toward the Nundu. "Create a distraction!"  
  
Draco picked up a piece of rock. "Hey, Furball!" he called. "Over here!" He then threw the rock. It hit Artawny in the eye. The Nundu roared in pain and struck out blindly with his paw, hitting one of the walls and sending more debris showering down on them.  
  
"I don't think that's quite the kind of distraction your father wanted, Mr. Malfoy," said Minerva.  
  
"No, it's brilliant!" Harry said. "When I was fighting the Basilisk last year, Fawkes scratched its eyes out. I don't think I'd be alive today if he hadn't done that. If we blind the Nundu-"  
  
"But we don't have Fawkes," Hermione interrupted, "and it's extremely unlikely that we're going to blind it with a few well-placed stones."  
  
Ron groaned and looked at Minerva. "Oh, why couldn't you have been some vicious bird of prey instead of a cat, Professor?"  
  
Dumbledore's blue eyes began to sparkle. He looked at Minerva, and she smiled knowingly and nodded. Dumbledore smiled, too, and turned his gaze toward Artawny. "Like, say, a falcon?"  
  
Suddenly, he vanished, and in his place was a falcon with reddish-brown feathers. The bird took flight and headed straight for the Nundu's eyes, fearlessly tearing at them with its sharp talons. Artawny was angrier than ever, and let out a thunderous roar to let them know it. He snapped at the creature that had done this to him, but the falcon was too swift and nimble for him, and was soon gone.  
  
The falcon transformed back into Dumbledore just before landing. "Don't tell Fawkes that I decided to copy him," he warned the others.  
  
Ron's mouth was open so wide it looked as if his jaw would hit the floor. "That's it," he said. "I'm not saying another word."  
  
While Artawny was snapping blindly at the air, thinking the falcon was still nearby, Lucius spotted his opening. There was a pile of debris just under where the Nundu's heart should be. If he could just get there...  
  
He began running, carefully sidestepping Artawny's gigantic paws as he stomped them in his pain and frustration. It was now or never. He sprinted up the pile of rocks, and just before reaching the end, noticed that it was still too short. He would have to leap, and leap he did, driving the sword deep into Artawny's flesh.  
  
Artawny emitted a sound that resembled a cross between the cry of a mandrake and an erupting volcano. "Cover your ears!" Dumbledore shouted. "The Nundu's final defense is its death cry, and it can be fatal!"  
  
They did, and as Artawny fell, they remained standing. When all the dust and debris settled, the bruised, battered Lucius Malfoy looked at his companions and said, "We did it."  
  
Then, everything went black. 


	32. Epilogue

A/N: Well, here it is... the LAST CHAPTER!!! AAAAAAHHH!!! This is particularly eventful for me because this is the first story of this length that I've actually FINISHED... *wipes sweat of brow* Whew. Huge accomplishment, I say. I started writing this in late November of 2002, and finished it in early February of 2003. (Posted 11-28-02, finished 2-2-03) So that's like, a little over two months. This story is over a hundred and forty pages long on my computer, and I wrote that in a little over two months. *blinks and stares blankly at computer screen* I am a zombie. Someone get me some caffeine.  
  
Thanks to everyone who has read and/or left a review. I never really expected anyone to read this, so when I look at my stats page and it says Trust Me: 114 reviews (as of Feb. 1, 2003), I get this warm fuzzy feeling inside me that just makes me want to hug something. *grabs calculus book and hugs it, then realizes she's hugging calculus book and throws it across room* Okay, now it's DEFINITELY time for some caffeine.  
  
  
~~ Epilogue ~~  
  
  
When Lucius came to, he was in a bed in the hospital wing of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The last thing he could remember was seeing the Nundu fall and realizing that Icarus Knight's reign of terror was over. And now he was here. How did that happen?  
  
"Oh, good, you're awake."  
  
Lucius recognized Minerva Dumbledore's voice, and as his vision came into focus, he saw the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts sitting in a chair at his bedside. Behind her, with his hands on her shoulders, stood Albus Dumbledore. "What's going on?" Lucius asked. "What happened? Where are the others?"  
  
"Easy, Lucius," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "They're all fine. After you killed the Nundu, Severus and I Apparated to London to get help."  
  
"Alina!" Lucius cried, and sat up quickly. That turned out to be a bad idea, and pain shot through his battered body. He cringed and managed to say, "Where's Alina?"  
  
"She's fine," Minerva assured him. "She was released three days ago. The Musical Enchantment study group is meeting right now."  
  
"And Minister Chang?" Lucius asked, slowly lowering himself back down in hopes to make it as painless as possible. No such luck.  
  
"Eko is fine as well," said Dumbledore. "He's back in London carrying out his duties."  
  
"How long have I been unconscious?"  
  
"A week."  
  
He shook his head in disbelief. A week. Ay carumba. That was a long time. "And the Nundu? It's dead?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, it is very dead. So is Icarus Knight - for real, this time."  
  
Minerva lifted her hand to her shoulder and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. He lifted her hand up, kissed it, and then set it back down again. Lucius smiled, almost subconsciously. "What?" Dumbledore asked, grinning as well.  
  
Lucius's smile grew wider, and he was well aware of it. "You two," he said. "You're just so... well, forgive me, but cute."  
  
"Cute," Dumbledore repeated. "Are you hearing this, Minerva? We seemed to be condemned to eternal cuteness."  
  
"There are worse things we could be condemned to," she pointed out.  
  
"Oh, true," he said, and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.  
  
Lucius laughed. "I rest my case." He then decided to ask the question that had been on his mind since seeing Dumbledore transform into a falcon when they were battling the Nundu. "When were you going to tell us that you're an Animagus, Albus?"  
  
Dumbledore's expression went from amused to perplexed. "Animagus? You mean the falcon?"  
  
Lucius nodded.  
  
"I'm not an Animagus." He pointed at Minerva, who smiled innocently. "She did that."  
  
"You two never cease to amaze me." Lucius then decided to ask the other question he had been wondering about, this time since waking up. "When can I see Draco and Alina?"  
  
"Why don't I go get them right now?" said Minerva, standing up. "And if I'm not mistaken, the Musical Enchantment study group has been planning a little surprise for you." Then she smiled.  
  
"What did she mean by that?" Lucius asked as Minerva exited the hospital wing.  
  
"I can't tell you," said Dumbledore. "It's a surprise."  
  
  
  
"So glad you could be here with us tonight, ladies and gentlemen," Oliver Wood said to his four-person audience of Lucius Malfoy, Albus and Minerva Dumbledore, and Poppy Pomfrey. "Before we begin our show, I would like to introduce the members of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Musical Enchantment Study Group Chamber.. erm... Ensemble, starting with Draco Malfoy on French horn!"  
  
Draco smiled and held up his French horn for emphasis.  
  
"Moving right along, we have the lovely Hermione Granger on cello," Oliver said.  
  
Hermione grinned and blushed slightly.  
  
"Next, we have Lisa Turpin on tenor saxophone and Anthony Goldstein on the triangle," said Oliver. Both of them were wearing dark sunglasses. "And rounding out our unusual combination of musicians are myself, Oliver Wood, violin player, and our fearless leader, soprano Alina Terringer! Give it up for the H. S. double W. M. E. S. G. C. E!"  
  
"He deserves the applause just for remembering all those letters," Madam Pomfrey commented to Minerva, who nodded her head once in agreement.  
  
Oliver brought his violin up to his shoulder and lifted up his bow. "Ready? One, two, one two three four..."  
  
For the next two and a half minutes, the six of them played whatever music came to mind. The only ones that sounded halfway decent were Oliver and Alina. The purpose of this performance, however, was to entertain with humor, not music, and they did THAT quite well. By the time they were finished, their audience was laughing so hard they were in tears.  
  
Oliver smiled and set his violin down. "Thank you. You've been a wonderful audience. It's been a pleasure playing for you."  
  
  
  
It had been a long day, and Minerva Dumbledore was ready for bed. Her husband, however, seemed to have a different idea - he was standing by one of the windows in their bedroom and hadn't moved for almost ten minutes. She was starting to get worried, so she walked over to him and asked him if he was all right.  
  
Dumbledore smiled at her, but it was more a smile of acknowledgement than affection. "I was just thinking about Peter Pettigrew. Why him? Why did Knight use him?"  
  
She shook her head. "I don't know, but we don't have to worry about Knight anymore. He's dead."  
  
"And so is Pettigrew." He looked out the window again, and his proud head drooped slightly. "Two wrongs don't make a right."  
  
Minerva sighed. "You're still convinced you killed him, aren't you?"  
  
"Well, I thought he was Icarus Knight then, but yes, Minerva, I did kill him."  
  
"You didn't kill him, Albus." She placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her. "Knight used the Imperius Curse on him. Icarus Knight killed Peter Pettigrew, maybe not in flesh, but in mind. Let go of your guilt. It wasn't your fault."  
  
"I still failed him, as a teacher, and as a fellow wizard."  
  
"A few bad apples do not spoil the tree from which they fell." She leaned forward and kissed him. "Even the most fruitful sometimes produce one or two with a worm in it."  
  
"You're tired," he said, running his fingers through her soft black hair, which reached its end just beyond her shoulders. "Don't let me keep you awake."  
  
"Albus Dumbledore," she said sternly, "if you do not go to bed this instant, I will have no choice but to stay awake until you do, and if I do, I will never have any ground to stand on when I lecture the students and take points away for being awake after hours."  
  
This time, his smile was for real. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"  
  
He lifted her up and carried her over to the bed. She laughed and said, "This is not dignified! Put me down."  
  
"As you wish." He gently set her down on the bed, and sat down next to her. For the next few minutes, all he could do was look at her. He loved her so much. It had taken them so long to find each other, and then to come so close to losing her... The thought of losing her was almost unbearable. If it hadn't been for Knight's blunder with the Killing Curse, Minerva probably would be dead. They were lucky Knight was so stupid.  
  
"Are you going to sleep or what?" Minerva asked, almost impatiently.  
  
Dumbledore smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "Or what."  
  
  
  
The next afternoon was chilly, but clear, and the long-overdue rematch between Slytherin and Hufflepuff had been delayed long enough. At the moment, Hufflepuff was leading fifty to forty, but Draco had the Golden Snitch in sight and was just inches in front of Hufflepuff's Seeker in pursuit of the tiny ball. If he could just reach it...  
  
"Come on, Slytherin!"  
  
"Get that Snitch, Malfoy!"  
  
"Let's go, Slytherin!"  
  
Up in the teachers' box, Minerva smiled to herself and shook her head. "I can honestly say I never thought I would hear that coming from the Gryffindor section."  
  
"Well, people change," said a voice from behind.  
  
Minerva glanced over her shoulder and smiled at Lucius Malfoy. "Yes, Lucius, they certainly do change. I'm sorry I doubted you."  
  
"Well, Professor," said Lucius, "it's not like your mistrust of me wasn't justifiable." He reached for the hand of the woman sitting next to him and gripped it tightly. "After all, leopards don't change their spots, but spots are only skin deep."  
  
"That's right," said Alina. She then spotted something flying toward Draco and said, "Ack! Draco! Bludger! Duck!"  
  
Draco saw the Bludger coming in plenty of time to get out of the way and still manage to remain in hot pursuit of the Snitch.  
  
Alina let out a long sigh of relief. "That was close."  
  
"And Malfoy sees the Bludger coming a mile away and has no trouble dodging it as he pursues the Golden Snitch, with Hufflepuff right on his tail," said commentator Lee Jordan. "Meanwhile, downfield, Flint and Warrington are having no trouble advancing the Quaffle past the Hufflepuff chasers, but it's another story getting it past Diggory - Warrington throws the Quaffle at the goal, and it is blocked, which is really no surprise. Macmillan takes the Quaffle, but what's this? Ooh, nice play by a Slytherin beater - knocked the Quaffle right out of Macmillan's hands and into Pucey's. Pucey moves downfield, throws, and BLOCKED by Diggory! Hufflepuff again takes possession. It's a pass! It's an interception! It's another pass! And ANOTHER interception! We could be here all day! Catch that Snitch whenever you're ready, Malfoy! Just try not to go too high, though; really wouldn't want another incident li-"  
  
"JORDAN!" Minerva shouted.  
  
"Sorry, Professor," said Lee, and continued his commentary.  
  
Draco had no time to pay attention to what was going on downfield. He had a Snitch to catch, and he was getting closer... closer... almost close enough to touch it... His right hand left the handle of his Nimbus 2001 and reached for the tiny gold ball. Just a little bit closer, and...  
  
"MALFOY CATCHES THE GOLDEN SNITCH!!!" Lee shouted into the microphone as the observers burst into a round of applause and cheering. "Slytherin wins the game! They now move to second place behind Gryffindor and... oh, I'm unplugged."  
  
"It'll be interesting to see how that Gryffindor-Slytherin game turns out," Dumbledore commented, turning to his wife to get her opinion on the topic.  
  
Minerva grinned. "Yes, it certainly will, especially with the little bet Severus and I have."  
  
"A bet?" Lucius said. "Oh, dear. What are the stakes?"  
  
"Slytherin wins, he picks everything I wear for a month. Gryffindor wins, I give him a haircut." She leaned over and whispered something into Alina's ear. Alina covered her mouth and began shaking from holding in laughter. "You don't think that's too cruel, do you?"  
  
Alina pulled her hand away and said, "Oh, no, not at all. I think Severus will look wonderful with a mullet."  
  
  
FINITE 


End file.
